


Hold Me Through the Winter

by KrellaTu



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Childhood Trauma, Dirty Talk, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Goofy Tae, Hand Jobs, Homophobia, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Oral Sex, Romance, Smart Kookie, Witches, multifandom (too many kpop groups will make appearances), wilderness romance, will add tags as I go!, wizardry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-13 11:51:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 48,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9122305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrellaTu/pseuds/KrellaTu
Summary: When Taehyung sets off for what should have been a boring lab expedition with Jungkook, his mage academy's resident genius and total heartthrob, and Wonwoo, his devoted best friend, his life changes forever.Beneath Taehyung's goofy antics is a dangerous past and an unbearable loneliness. Within his fragile heart is a secret power. The universe has more planned for him than he would hope.Can Taehyung and Jungkook's relationship withstand the hardships to come?





	1. It's... It's Beautiful...

**Author's Note:**

> "Taehyung forced himself to forget the glint he had seen in Jungkook's eyes."
> 
> Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic ever so I really hope you like it! It's going to be hella long by the way, so I hope you're in it for the long haul. I wasn't sure if I'd post this at all but it's TaeTae's birthday and I figured it was meant to be! I will try to update it every two or three days, at least until I've put up most of what I've written so far (a lot). 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!

               Snow flew from stone as Taehyung sprinted at full speed. He clutched his smaller backpack in one hand, the flap hanging halfway open. His other arm shielded his eyes from the stinging cold and held his thick glasses stable. Bright orange locks of hair bounced frantically against his forehead as he ran. Taehyung regretted not wearing his thickest robes. Instead he had packed them away in his bigger backpack, which hung from his shoulders like a rock.

               _It must be 8:30 already… he’s gonna be so pissed at me!_ Taehyung thought to himself. _I’m technically a day late already. Why can’t I just do something right for once?_

               Taehyung’s lab partner was one of the smartest mages in their school. He was younger than Taehyung by two years, although nobody could have guessed that much. His partner had skipped two grades before college, so they were in the same year now. Taehyung really wanted to be on time and do a good job to show him that he wasn’t _totally_ incompetent. He had already fucked that up, big time.

               Taehyung swallowed hard as beads of sweat broke out onto his forehead and dampened his bright bangs. He was running as fast as he could without falling flat on his face, but his lack of strength wasn’t helping. His chest began to tighten as he neared the staircase, his last stop before the university courtyard where they were meant to meet. He took in a deep breath – by now quite experienced with techniques to handle his anxiety – and poked his head around the corner.

               Jungkook was standing near the college gates. His arms were crossed and his right foot tapped impatiently on the snowy ground. Taehyung gulped. Jungkook had a long, dark coat on with a high collar, protecting his neck from the cold. His jet-black hair was as perfectly organized as always. It shined with the cold moisture collecting on his head. Jungkook simply oozed mystery and confidence. Taehyung took a final breath and ran down the stairs at top speed.

               Jungkook turned to the staircase and examined Taehyung as he ran. Taehyung breathed in sharply and lowered his gaze to the steps.

               “Careful, Taehyung,” the boy called over with a commanding voice. “Don’t hurt yourself before we even leave the college.” Taehyung’s face warmed at the younger’s words. He reached Jungkook and stopped, his hands resting on his knees as he panted. His stomach twisted as he heard Jungkook snicker.

               “Sorry… Jungkook…” he managed between breaths.

               “It’s fine,” Jungkook replied, exhaling silently. Taehyung was too busy panting to notice him rolling his eyes discreetly. Jungkook glanced at his watch again and sighed. “You really are late though. I’ve been here for a while. We really should have left yesterday, but this is a lot…”

               Taehyung stared up apologetically at Jungkook, whose eyebrows shifted in return. “I know, I know, I’m really sorry!” Taehyung whimpered. He prepared for Jungkook to scold him again. “I just had to finish the paper Professor Seokjin asked for last week.” Their ‘Archeology of Magical Artifacts’ professor was never willing to lighten their workload, but he was a kind person so he gave Taehyung a much-needed extension. The boy always had trouble organizing his life.

               Jungkook raised both eyebrows. His face looked down at Taehyung with judgement. “You still hadn’t finished that?! It was due last week!” Taehyung winced. He was Jungkook’s elder but he could never bring himself to be assertive around the accomplished boy.

               “Oh, I got an extension…” Taehyung replied softly. He was very sensitive, especially to comments like that. “And don’t worry, Professor Seokjin said the first day of the expedition lab would just be settling in. When I told him we’d be late by a day he didn’t seem to mind. Although now that I think about it, he said if we were travelling alone we should be careful.” Taehyung looked up anxiously at Jungkook, whose eyebrows furrowed downwards.

               “You think I can’t handle it?” Jungkook questioned. His lab partner was always looking for a challenge. Taehyung waved his hands dismissively, flashing the younger his signature eye smile.

               “No, no, I’m sure you can! I just-”

               “He’s just pretty incompetent,” a third voice interrupted. The boy approached them leisurely with a grin. Taehyung stood up straighter at the sound and a smile came to his lips. Wonwoo had been Taehyung’s best friend for a very long time, since years before they decided to attend Frosthelm College of the Magical Arts. Their steadfast friendship brought comfort to Taehyung’s disorderly life. Wonwoo rested a hand on Taehyung’s shoulder and grinned at Jungkook.

               There was a moment of silence before Taehyung remembered his manners. “Oh, sorry! Um, Jungkook, this is Jeon Wonwoo, my best friend. I was wondering if it would be ok if he came with us? He finished his finals early, so…”

               Jungkook raised an eyebrow suspiciously as he extended a hand for the third boy. Wonwoo was very handsome himself, his face smooth and chiseled. He had mysterious eyes but his expressions were kind and innocent. Taehyung grinned, knowing well that Wonwoo would have no trouble turning on the charm. “I’m Jeon Jungkook,” the youngest said calmly. “I don’t mind if you come along, but do you mind if I ask why? It’s going to take five days to get there, two days to do the lab, and another five to return. Personally, that’s a lot more time than I’ve got to waste.”

               “Well, like he said, I already finished my finals and I don’t feel like spending two weeks all by myself. It’s not really a waste if we have a good adventure! Plus, Tae here is a bit of a klutz, so I worry about him,” he responded, moving his hand to rustle Taehyung’s orange hair. Jungkook almost seemed to recoil at the sound of Taehyung’s nickname. Wonwoo looked at him suspiciously.

               Taehyung stared at the two, entirely oblivious to the social cues he’d witnessed. He was suddenly terrified that Jungkook may find Wonwoo handsome (which of course he was). He coughed awkwardly to break the silence. “Uh… should we get going then?” Jungkook nodded and let the way.

               As they departed, Jungkook eyed Wonwoo once more. His deep voice spoke abruptly. “Just make sure you don’t get in the way.”

               Wonwoo was taken aback and geared up to argue, but Taehyung gripped his wrist. Taehyung may have been generally awkward but he knew Wonwoo well. Wonwoo frowned and rolled his eyes in surrender.

               Taehyung sighed. Perhaps these two were not an ideal combination after all. It was going to be a long two weeks.

 

 

 

               Frosthelm College of the Magical Arts wasn’t terribly huge with a student body of around 850 student, but it was still quite large for a university specializing in magic. With a population of less than a thousand, it was quite uncommon to see an unfamiliar face.

               Everyone in their second year or above at FCMA knew Jeon Jungkook. He was one of the smartest students in the Magical Engineering department, where he majored. He was also known as a huge heartthrob, although rumor had it that he’d never dated anyone, at least not at FCMA. He attended parties occasionally but Taehyung never heard many rumors about him being romantically involved.

               Taehyung, on the other hand, had a very different reputation. Many people knew him for his silly and nerdy nature. Professors in the combat magic department knew him well for his natural talents, but much to their disappointment, Taehyung was horrified of fighting. Sparring was generally commonplace in combat magic training, but Taehyung refused to even try to hurt someone; he just had a passion for seeing what kinds of awesome spells he could learn to cast. Unlike his professors, Taehyung’s peers knew him better for his lack of skill in the other disciplines: magical engineering, healing arts, history, brewing, you name it. He acted carefree and goofy, but that was only to hide his severe anxiety disorder. Outside of class, he often isolated himself. He knew that people viewed him as a failure and it made him feel even more detached.

 

 

 

               When the group passed through the outer gate of campus, Jungkook stopped to turn around.

               “All right, I think it’s time to use these,” he said. Taehyung raised his eyebrows in curiosity. He sucked at magical engineering, but he _loved_ gadgets, and he could tell that Jungkook was about to pull one out. Wonwoo simply nodded in response. Jungkook opened his bag and took out a small pouch with a cartoon spark on it. Wonwoo reached into his own backpack and pulled out a similar pouch. Taehyung’s curiosity was practically killing him.

               Jungkook opened his pouch carefully. In it rested two identical pendants. They were in the shape of lightning bolts, made from what looked like crafting bronze, with a shining gem resting in their centers. Taehyung noticed that Wonwoo was holding a similar pendant, but his was in the shape of Frosthelm’s logo, an intricate F.  

               “I made these for the trip,” Jungkook smiled. “I figured you’d need one since you seem so… uh…” Jungkook decided not to finish his sentence, and fortunately Taehyung was far too preoccupied to care. He reached instinctively for the pendant and examined it close to his face.  

               Wonwoo gave his pendant a tap and it immediately glowed a dim yellow light. Taehyung’s mouth curved into a small “ooh” shape. He tried to tap his own pendant but nothing happened, causing Jungkook to snicker yet again.

               “Watch,” the dark-haired boy commanded. Taehyung listened, focusing in on Jungkook’s pendant. “These are called flashpins. They attach to your clothing and let off light. Just tap the pendant’s jewel with a bit of magical energy and it will turn on. Careful not to overload it, though.” He demonstrated for Taehyung and the pendant glowed the same faint light as Wonwoo’s.

               Taehyung contorted his face. “Wait, didn’t we learn about this last semester in intro to engineering?”

               “Wow, Tae, you really don’t remember anything, do you?” Wonwoo replied, giggling at Taehyung. Jungkook let out a sigh.

               “Hey, I remember some stuff! Just... not this one,” Taehyung growled. His face glowed red from embarrassment. Wonwoo giggled again but motioned for Jungkook continue.

               “Yes, you should have learned this at the beginning of that class,” the dark-haired boy said, trying hard to remain patient. “They should have enough energy to last us well over the entire trip and back.” He paused for a second, then turned to face Wonwoo. “What color are you then?”

               “Watch.” Wonwoo placed the pendant on his chest and the gem emitted a bright turquoise light. Taehyung’s eyes were practically bulging out of his head at this point, and Jungkook couldn’t help but chuckle at his expression. “It’s been awhile since I wore one of these though,” Wonwoo recalled, mostly to Jungkook. “I wonder why my aura is so turquoise. I always thought I’d be a purple or violet shade.”

               “Most normal people don’t have violet auras, especially not bright ones. That’s a mark of an aura that will overcome evil and rise to greatness, if I remember that Ancient Tomes reading correctly,” Jungkook said, his hand resting on his chin.

               Taehyung sighed. Even he knew the Ancient Tomes. They were the most famous historical recount of magic’s origins in the universe. His crazy ‘Intro to Magical History’ instructor, Professor Bane, had basically made his class into ‘A Mind-Numbing Exploration of the Ancient Tomes.’ Taehyung chuckled softy to himself. He was still proud for coming up with that one. His professor had kept saying that it would take a decade at least to become an expert on the Tomes, but he was probably just senile. Taehyung gazed at his lab partner. He felt his respect for Jungkook growing even more. He really did know his shit.

               Jungkook moved his hand from his chin and placed his pendant on his chest with a slight smirk. The gem immediately flashed a deep, neutral blue. Taehyung stared in awe at the color coming from Jungkook’s chest. It was a rich color, dark and enticing – quite a bit like the mage himself. Jungkook let a proud grin show on his face at Taehyung’s reaction. Taehyung felt like giggling at Jungkook’s pride, but cocked his head to the side when the dark-haired mage seemed to start, perhaps in embarrassment. Taehyung had no time to ponder the action as an idea struck him.

               As Jungkook turned back to Taehyung, his mouth dropped in shock. “Taehyung! Don’t do that!” he commanded. Taehyung froze in place, moving his wide eyes slowly back up to meet Jungkook’s. The older mage was bending over slightly, leaning towards the pendant in his hand, with his mouth hanging open and his tongue out slightly. Jungkook stared at Taehyung in shock for a few moments. Taehyung then watched the shock fade from Jungkook’s face, leaving only a statuesque gaze.

               Taehyung’s nostrils were red and slightly wet from the cold. His cheeks and nose were rosy as well, flushing profusely in embarrassment. His eyes were wide and innocent behind his glasses, staring at Jungkook nervously. The competent mage let out a sudden giggle. Even Taehyung could see he was suppressing a smile. He could even swear for a moment that Jungkook was blushing when he heard a cough from Wonwoo.

               Taehyung blinked hard and slowly slid his tongue back into his mouth, the embarrassment hitting him hard. He squeezed his eyes together tightly, wishing he could disappear.

               He and Jungkook turned their heads to Wonwoo, who had one eyebrow raised. His eyes darted back and forth between Taehyung and Jungkook. He turned around and mumbled something about “always being the third wheel somehow…,” barely audible over the heartbeat pulsing in his ears. He began to panic at Wonwoo’s murmuring. _What if Jungkook heard that? Damn it, Won…_ He tried to read Jungkook’s face, but the raven wasn’t reacting to the comment. Taehyung watched his best friend wander off, his turquoise beam illuminating the mass of trees. Taehyung heard him making silly laser beam noises. He grinned at Wonwoo’s goofiness.

               He flinched as he heard Jungkook take a breath. “You’re not supposed to lick the pendant, Taehyung…” Jungkook said. Taehyung took a breath of relief, thinking the awkward moment had passed. Jungkook, however, moved closer to Taehyung with his hand extended. Taehyung stumbled backwards, nearly falling on his butt. Jungkook’s reflexes were too quick, however. He caught Taehyung’s arm. “What’s gotten into you, man?” Jungkook admonished, a look of what seemed to be impatience finally on his face for the first time since their departure.

               “Uh, suh-sorry!” Taehyung replied, his voice cracking slightly. “I, uh, I don’t remember things really well unless I _do_ them. Like, if I read something, I don’t really remember it until it _means_ something to me.” Jungkook’s face was still and ominous. He grasped desperately for more convincing excuses, anything to deter Jungkook’s hurtful glare. “That’s why I didn’t remember how to use these, because I read about them for a class I think, but then again, maybe I didn’t actually do that reading? I’m not really sure-”

               “It’s ok, I’ll show you,” Jungkook stated calmly. Taehyung swallowed and managed to nod his head, failing to hide his shame. He watched Jungkook’s frown vanish and the raven closed the gap between him and Taehyung with ease.

               Taehyung’s heart pounded in at his ribs. Jungkook really was attractive, and surprisingly patient despite his reputation. He remembered how Wonwoo had warned him about the younger mage’s lack of regard for his ‘inferiors.’ Perhaps Wonwoo was being too harsh, or maybe just protective. Jungkook took the pendant from Taehyung’s hand. He showed him again a few times, his patient face slipping just slightly each time he had to repeat himself. Taehyung tried hard to pay attention, but he was partly embarrassed and partly itching to turn on the pendant a little too much to focus.

               “There, got it?” Jungkook asked, finally giving Taehyung the pendant.

               “Yes, I think so!” he replied optimistically. Taehyung’s fears disappeared as he got into his element of actually _doing_. He scrunched up his nose in concentration, bringing his free hand up in the air. He closed his eyes tightly and focused on moving just a small amount of magical energy into his fingertip. The kind of subtlety this task required was hard for him, especially since his strength was in the more explosive energy of combat magics. Once he felt he had gained control, he tapped the pendant. Jungkook looked thoroughly relieved when the pendant hummed a soft yellow glow. Taehyung, now giggling mischievously, shoved his bright orange bangs away from his forehead and put the pendant just above his thick glasses. The boy let out an explosive laugh, his arms resting on his hips, his chest pushed out with pride. He glanced at Jungkook and giggled even more profusely when he saw Jungkook’s shocked expression, eyes wide and mouth half open.

               “Haha! What do you think, oh great Mr. Jeon?” he said goofily. Taehyung expected Jungkook to roll his eyes at him and scold him for putting the pendant in such a weird place, but Jungkook was unmoving, his stare fixed on Taehyung.

               “Woah…” Jungkook whispered, awe in his eyes.

               Taehyung crossed his eyes slightly, noticing most gorgeous array of violets, blues and reds swirling together in a spectrum of light. The rays were emanating from Taehyung’s forehead at an almost blinding intensity. Taehyung’s eyes moved back to Jungkook and he gazed at the reflection of the arcing light in his dark eyes. Both boys had to squint at the intensity.

               “It’s… it’s beautiful…” Jungkook whispered in amazement. Taehyung turned his head towards the forest, causing all sorts of violet hues to project onto the trees. He grinned brilliantly as the pendant’s intensity slowly faded down to a reasonable level.

               “I did it, I did it!” Taehyung yelled, practically jumping for joy. A still awe-struck Jungkook allowed a smile to form on his lips. “Thanks, Jungkook!” Taehyung chirped. Preoccupied with his celebration, Taehyung almost didn’t notice that his free arm was wrapped around Jungkook’s shoulder in an awkward sort of half-hug. His face was dangerously close to Jungkook’s. He stared directly at Jungkook’s dark eyes. He suddenly felt the crushing weight of embarrassment hanging in his gut.

               The light from Taehyung’s pendant casted soft shadows on Jungkook’s features. Taehyung felt his heartbeat hammering in his chest. Jungkook was clearly staring right back into his eyes, no longer focused on the pendant at all. Taehyung fought the urge to pull away in panic. They stayed there for what felt like hours. Taehyung wished shamefully that the moment would last forever. All he could think about was how handsome Jungkook was, how this was the closest he’d ever been to his gorgeous face before… and then it hit him. Jungkook hadn’t pushed him off yet. _Why isn’t he pulling away? He must be so horrified that I’m trying to hug him… Oh God, he must be disgusted with me!_

               Just as soon as Taehyung convinced his muscles to pull away from Jungkook, he flinched again. A firm hand pressed onto his back. Jungkook was suddenly pulling him in towards his chest. Taehyung’s head rested gently on the raven’s broad shoulder. He held his breath, yet Jungkook’s subtle scent still invaded his nostrils.

               Jungkook suddenly opened his eyes wide. He pushed Taehyung away quickly. Taehyung hit the ground hard, feeling his back smack onto rock, only padded lightly by a coat of snow.

_‘Nobody will ever love you, little piece of trash.’_

               Taehyung gasped, eyelids forced shut, his mind focused inwards. He tried desperately to hold the memories back.

_‘Worthless faggot,’_ the voice hissed. In a flash of terror, he felt the impact on his jaw, the searing pain and humiliation.

               He shook his head violently, forcing himself back to reality. He turned and started to get up as he adjusted his glasses. The unwelcome memories had rattled him far more than the painful fall, and he realized in horror that tears were forming in his eyes. He silently hissed poisonous remarks at his own stupidity.

               “Ether, I’m… I’m sorry.” Jungkook stumbled over his words, clearly flustered with guilt. “I…”

               “It’s ok!” Taehyung interjected immediately. His voice came out unstable, fragile. He dared not look at Jungkook, whose gaze he was sure was filled with anger. “It’s my bad! I guess I got too excited and got too close.” It took all his effort to keep his voice from cracking. He had never been a good liar. He forced himself to look back at Jungkook and gave the most convincing eye smile he could.

               Jungkook had a pained look on his face. He took a step forward and extended his arm, offering what Taehyung assumed was to help stabilize him. Taehyung immediately turned away, wiping at his tears hurriedly. “No problem…” Jungkook mumbled as he took a step back again. The raven scratched his forehead, his face still contorted. Taehyung brushed the snow off the back of his legs, straightened his glasses again, and looked up to see Jungkook frowning, looking down at the ground in front of him. He seemed distraught.  

               “Are you OK, Jungkook?” Taehyung asked carefully.

               “Am _I_ OK? I should be the one asking you that. I pushed you and made you cry!” His voice was shaking violently and it scared Taehyung. He’d never seen Jungkook this upset.

               “What? No, you barely gave me a tap! I’m just super clumsy and weak and I lost my balance,” Taehyung lied through his teeth. He swallowed back a pang of guilt at his dishonestly.

               “Oh… really?” Jungkook asked slowly, clearly processing the lie carefully. Taehyung got the sense that he was reasoning with himself. “Well… I’m glad you’re ok at least.”

               Taehyung felt his heart sink. He could tell that Jungkook was probably trying hard not be furious with him. He may be scary but he didn’t seem like a mean guy anymore. Taehyung wanted to hit himself for being such a careless idiot.

               He forced himself to forget the glint he had seen in Jungkook’s eyes.

               The two stood awkwardly for a moment, both searching for anything that could help them escape the situation. Jungkook moved first. He slowly walked towards where Wonwoo had wandered off to earlier and cleared his throat. “Wonwoo, I think we should get going,” he called loudly. Taehyung swallowed hard and buried his inner turmoil thoroughly, just like he always had. He followed Jungkook, careful to maintain a safe distance.

               Wonwoo emerged from behind a tree at the call, zipping up what Taehyung assumed were his pants. Taehyung couldn’t help but giggle. “Everybody pees, Tae,” Wonwoo said defensively. Taehyung made a note to thank Wonwoo later for always giving him an escape from his internal wars.

               Wonwoo’s eyes grew wide when he saw his best friend. Taehyung had forgotten about the pendant glowing comfortably on his forehead. “Woah, Tae! Your aura is crazy!” he shouted, a wide grin beaming at his lips. He ran over to Taehyung and moved his hands through the light playfully. He patted Taehyung firmly on the back. “If you’ve got it, flaunt it!” he said, cracking himself up. Taehyung couldn’t help but laugh too. He stole a glance at Jungkook’s face. His lips were curled in a soft frown, his eyes darting from Taehyung to Wonwoo and back again.

_Now that is an expression I_ definitely _don’t understand._


	2. Embrace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danger and fear brings Taehyung closer to Jungkook than he had expected as their tumultuous journey continues....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!!~
> 
> This update is much longer than the first so I hope you enjoy it! A lot of stuff happens... much love <3

               “So Jungkook, have you ever heard of that? Multiple colors in one aura?” Wonwoo’s voice was thick with excitement.

               The trio had traveled for around an hour. The chilling cold of the night and its cacophony of nocturnal creatures sent shivers down their spines. The sound of human voices was their only comfort. Jungkook had remained silent; he led the group as Wonwoo and Taehyung followed a few feet behind. The two had run through all their friends, listing what colors they thought their auras were. Taehyung felt bad about excluding Jungkook from the conversation, but he was still overcome with the awkwardness from earlier.

               “Actually, yes,” Jungkook responded brightly, clearly glad to be invited to participate. “This one’s not from the Ancient Tomes, though. I just read a news piece about a graduate program in magical philosophy that’s currently researching auras. They’re trying to figure out what makes an aura express itself as a certain wavelength of light when channeled through magical machinery.” Taehyung was surprised at himself for understanding something so… academic.

               “Huh, that sounds cool. Is that what you want to do after Frosthelm?” Wonwoo asked. To anybody else, the question would have seemed genuine, but Taehyung could hear the suspicion in his voice. He recalled again the time that Wonwoo had warned him about Jungkook. Wonwoo thought Jungkook was a dick, mostly because of his reputation. Rumor had it that Jungkook couldn’t tolerate stupidity and only cared about his own success. That’s part of the reason that Wonwoo had demanded Taehyung let him come along

               “Not really; I’m mostly just into magical engineering. I was reading about that program because it had a lot to do with negative ectoplasmic pathways. I had an awesome project on how energy transmission within those pathways works. I decided to focus a lot on the pseudo-conversion of magical energy, viewed as a wave function, into electromagnetic radiation.” Taehyung sighed and scratched his forehead.

               Wonwoo chuckled and put his hand around Taehyung’s shoulders. “I don’t think we got any of that, Mr. Genius.” Jungkook let out a sharp laugh much to Taehyung’s surprise. He paused and looked at the sky.

               “Oh wow, the moons are already aligned,” Jungkook said. “It’s probably around midnight then. We should get packed up.”

               Sure enough, Taehyung gazed up to see Gaia’s larger moon, Pontus, tucked evenly behind the much smaller Uranus. Pontus’s beige glow framed Uranus’s sharper, silver sheen beautifully. He smiled to himself, remembering when his mother explained that he should always be in bed when Pontus starts to hide.

               The group moved into a small gap between three large oak trees. “Either one of you know how to make a campfire?” Jungkook asked reluctantly, clearly not expecting much.

               “Yeah, I got you,” Wonwoo answered. Taehyung and Jungkook both turned to him and simultaneously let out a perplexed “huh”?

               Wonwoo was a great guy and an even better friend, but if there was anything he and Taehyung didn’t have in common, it was his hatred of the outdoors. He was a grade level behind the lab partners, so he hadn’t declared a major yet, but he was planning on majoring in healing arts. Taehyung knew that it was just as much for his love for helping people as it was the department’s lack of fieldtrips.

               “Wow, don’t look so shocked, friends… I know a thing or two from way back when.” He spoke with his cheesiest voice and gazed at the stars in faux nostalgia. Taehyung cringed, a disgusted smile forcing its way on his face. “Tae, can you grab me some wood from around?” Taehyung nodded and turned to gather the firewood. Jungkook approached him silently and tapped his shoulder.

               “Don’t go too far.” His voice was deep and quiet, almost protective. “These woods are giving me the creeps.” Taehyung suppressed a childish giggle and nodded, flashing a quick eye smile to his lab partner. He was convinced that Jungkook only viewed him as an acquaintance (or a friend at the most), but the protective gesture still made his heart flutter. Jungkook moved back to his backpack. “I’m going to cast the alarm spell. When you two get the fire going I’ll also cast the flame protection spell. Then we can set up the tents and have something to eat.”

               Taehyung half-walked, half-skipped off. He found as much firewood as he could carry, all soaked with freezing snow, and waddled back to the campfire. As he returned he saw Jungkook finishing his spell. A dark blue pulse of energy ran through the ground to the edge of the clearing. Taehyung gazed at the mage in wonder. Jungkook caught him staring and flashed him a smile – _and was that a wink??_ – and hurried to set up his tent.  

               Wonwoo helped Taehyung place the cold firewood within a ring of stones he had assembled. He cupped his left hand and moved his right arm with fluid movements. A tiny point of turquoise energy appeared in his left hand. Taehyung watched as his motions began to guide the freezing liquid out of the wood. The water flowed to the surface of the wooden logs and slid slowly onto the ground. Then, the point in his left hand grew into a ball and Wonwoo blew into it harshly. Bright orange flames cascaded from the turquoise glow, pushed forth from Wonwoo’s freezing breath. The logs caught fire quickly and Taehyung grinned as warmth washed over the campsite. He jumped with excitement and hit Wonwoo on the back with an audible thump.

               “Taehyung-ah, don’t you already know ‘create flame’? Seems like basic combat magic to me,” Wonwoo said in a playfully condescending tone.

               “Well yeah, I know it, but you look so cool when you do magic!”

               “You’re as naïve as ever, Tae,” Wonwoo snickered.

 

               After eating dinner, Taehyung felt his eyelids growing heavy. Jungkook got up to get in his tent when he paused. He glanced at the tent opposite to the fire. “Hey, Taehyung… where are you sleeping tonight?” Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows and looked back at the tent. His eyes widened in realization. Wonwoo’s tent was barely big enough for one person, let alone two. Taehyung hadn’t even thought to bring one himself. He looked to Wonwoo, who was making his signature ‘ _not my problem_ ’ face. Taehyung sighed and pushed his glasses up. Looks like he’d be forced to sleep on the ground.

               “I guess you can sleep in mine,” Jungkook said suddenly. His voice was just as casual as always, but his face seemed tense. Taehyung’s eyes widened. “It’s definitely big enough for two people. You at least brought your own bedroll, right?” Taehyung nodded quickly, a bit too excited. Jungkook couldn’t help but let a smile slip his lips. Taehyung swore he heard Wonwoo let out a groan, but he was too distracted to care.

               Taehyung grabbed his backpack and trotted happily into the tent. He saw that Jungkook’s bedroll was set up right in the center, leaving little room for him. Jungkook pushed past him and moved his bedroll over against one of the tent’s small walls. Taehyung smiled at him and laid out his own bedroll opposite to Jungkook’s.

               Wonwoo scraped at the tent surface dramatically and unzipped the door halfway. He poked in his head with a stupid grin and crossed eyes, earning him a laugh from Taehyung in response. Jungkook cocked an eyebrow. “Did you get confused, Wonwoo? Yours is the other tent.” His voice was surprisingly harsh.

               “Woah, sorry buddy! I just wanted to wish you two a good night, jeez.”

               Taehyung giggled at Jungkook’s random rudeness and wished Wonwoo a goodnight. Wonwoo returned the gesture. Jungkook’s face shifted to somewhere between guilt and frustration. The younger mage waved to Wonwoo.

               After they heard Wonwoo zip up his tent, Taehyung turned to look at Jungkook. The boy was sitting cross-legged on his bedroll. He held an old-looking book open on his lap. “What are you reading?” Taehyung asked, his voice cracking suddenly. He winced at his own awkwardness.

               “This? It’s my journal. I was just going to… write what happened today.” He seemed surprisingly startled by the question.

               “Oh,” Taehyung replied softly. He watched Jungkook return to his writing for a bit, too tired to realize how blatantly he had been staring. Jungkook glanced back at him for a split second and flashed him a warm smile. Taehyung was too close to sleep to be embarrassed, so he said goodnight instead. Jungkook returned the gesture as Taehyung closed his eyes, his glasses still resting on his nose.

 

 

 

 

_Jungkook reached for the stone with his free hand, the other grasping Taehyung’s hand firmly. They were turned flat on their stomachs, but it felt as though gravity was pulling them towards their feet. Taehyung glanced back at the menacing figure behind them. He turned back and watched Jungkook scream in agony, desperate for the pain to end. Wicked cackling filled the room, accompanied by eerie shadows spiraling around the companions._

_“Jungkook!” Taehyung whispered, desperate to save him somehow. “Please, just let go! They’re not after you! They’re_ my _demons!”_

_Taehyung watched in horror as the shadows closed in, biting at his flesh with ice cold fangs. He winced in agony, but refused to show his pain to Jungkook. The shadows moved upwards as Taehyung tucked his face into his chest to protect it from the vicious attacks. They crawled up his spine and onto his arm, tempting him to release his hold, but he stood fast. As they reached Jungkook, his cries of agony intensified._

_“I’ve… I think I can grab it!” he managed between moans and screams._

_“Please Jungkook, you have to let go!” Taehyung shouted back._

_And then the screaming stopped. Taehyung paused for a second, unable to bring his gaze up toward his companion. Warm liquid began to trickle down his hand. He looked up slowly, fear gripping his muscles. He gasped in horror. A gigantic blade, shining steel tinted crimson, pierced Jungkook directly through his heart._

_"NO!” Taehyung screamed in unimaginable suffering. He was losing his control._

_Suddenly, the shadows cried out and vanished in violet and crimson explosions of energy. The sword in Jungkook’s chest slowly disintegrated and they collapsed back onto the floor, the stone resting safely in Jungkook’s now lifeless hand. Taehyung grasped at Jungkook, begging him to wake up, but he was still. He wailed in misery as he hugged the other’s lifeless body._

_“Taehyung?”_

_“Taehyung!”_

_“Taehyung, are you ok?!”_

 

 

               Taehyung’s eyes flew open and he let out a loud yelp. He jolted up and scanned his surroundings. He recognized the tent he had fallen asleep in, and he spun his head towards where Jungkook had been. He gasped sharply. Jungkook was kneeling next to him, his hand on Taehyung’s shoulder. Taehyung noticed how large Jungkook’s hand was on his shamefully scrawny body and blinked in surprise. He felt relieved at the proof that Jungkook was still very much alive.

               “Taehyung, are you all right? That seemed like a nightmare if I’ve ever seen one.”

               Taehyung’s vision clouded with tears and he rested his face in his hands to hide his flushed skin.

               “What happened?” Jungkook asked softly.

Taehyung inhaled deeply through his tears. “You were there with me, in this cavern, and you wanted to help me but then you died because my demons stabbed you through the heart…” Taehyung said, unaware of how unintelligible he sounded. Jungkook awkwardly rubbed his back in small circles.

               “It’s all right, Taehyung, you’re ok. It was just a nightmare,” Jungkook whispered. His voice was surprisingly tender, reflecting his gentle touch. Taehyung breathed heavily and repeated what Jungkook had said back to himself like a mantra. “Wonwoo, can you bring us breakfast?” Jungkook called. Only a few moments passed before Wonwoo unzipped the tent, bringing in two bowls of oatmeal. Taehyung quickly covered his eyes with the crook of his elbow in shame.

               “Woah, Tae, are you ok? I thought I heard you shouting just now.” Taehyung peeked over his elbow to see Wonwoo glaring suspiciously at Jungkook.

               “He screamed in his sleep. It sounds like he had a nightmare,” Jungkook said. Wonwoo raised his eyebrows at Jungkook’s surprising sympathy.

               “Wow, that sounds bad Tae. Do you want to talk about it?” Taehyung looked up at his best friend and wiped his eyes. He shook his head quickly. He didn’t know why, but he felt quite uncomfortable with Wonwoo hearing about this dream. In fact, he didn’t want anyone else to know. He closed his eyes and swallowed, locking the dream up deep in his mind where he shoved everything else. _Don’t come back out,_ he thought bitterly. Wonwoo shrugged, looking a bit hurt at Taehyung’s reaction, and placed the bowls down before leaving.

               Jungkook reached over to the bowls. He put his bowl down next to him and placed Taehyung’s on his lap. He moved his hand back towards Taehyung’s back, but hovered it there for a few moments, a look of uncertainty on his face. Taehyung rubbed his eyes and breathed deeply, finally in control with the memories locked away, and stared blankly at the corner of the tent.

               “Taehyung? What’s going on?” the dark-haired boy said, stumbling over his words. Taehyung was unmoving, his expression blank. Jungkook swallowed and moved his hand onto Taehyung’s back again, rubbing it comfortably. With a jolt, Taehyung snapped back to reality and closed his eyes. Jungkook reflexively pulled his hand away.

               “Sorry. It’s all right. I just get really bad nightmares sometimes and they make me anxious.”

               “It’s ok, I can understand that,” Jungkook said. His tone of voice was quite awkward. Taehyung remembered for a moment that he had never seen Jungkook talking intimately with another student. It suddenly dawned on him that Jungkook may not have had much experience dealing with… well, other people. He turned to face Jungkook, his eyes still puffy and red.

               “Jungkook, can I ask you something?” Jungkook nodded quickly in response. “Are you… close with anyone?”

               Jungkook seemed to flinch. He took in a sharp breath. “What do you mean?”

               “I mean - who are you, like, friends with?” Taehyung kept his voice soft, being very careful not to upset the younger mage.

               Jungkook sighed slowly. Taehyung stared hesitantly into his eyes. He thought about how close he was to Jungkook but also about how comfortable he was in this moment. “I don’t really know.” Taehyung suddenly felt tears return to his eyes. He cursed himself. Why did he have to be so sensitive? “Wait, why are you crying again Taehyung? It’s ok, you don’t have to worry about me,” Jungkook said frantically, distress exploding his face.

               “Why not, Jungkook? Why don’t you have friends?” Jungkook bit his lip, his face twisted in discomfort. Taehyung looked away. “Never mind, I’m sorry. That was a really, really personal question.” He heard Jungkook let out a heavy sigh.

               “You should eat some breakfast, Taehyung. You might feel better.” Taehyung frowned. He was trying hard not to imagine Jungkook spending his days with nothing but his school work – it wasn’t working. He heard Jungkook let out a noise, as if struggling with something. He looked up at Jungkook who, with awkwardness all over his face, was staring at Taehyung carefully. Jungkook gently lifted the spoon in Taehyung’s bowl and scooped a bite of oatmeal. He moved the bite to Taehyung’s mouth. Taehyung’s mind caught on after his body; he opened his mouth and let Jungkook feed him the bite. He heard his lab partner exhale. “Is that… better?” Jungkook asked.

               Taehyung blushed behind his smile and nodded quickly. He watched Jungkook swallow, almost painfully, and scoop him another bite. Taehyung accepted, his eyes wide as he stared at Jungkook. His lab partner seemed to be struggling intensely with something, his lips almost quivering.

Taehyung was hit with a pang of guilt. He was being selfish. Jungkook was feeding him because he was worried but Taehyung could do it by himself. He was letting his heavy crush on his lab partner drive him to manipulate Jungkook. He was using him.

_‘Worthless faggot.’_

               Taehyung snatched the spoon from Jungkook and turned away. “Feel better now,” he said, struggling to keep an even tone. His lab partner sat back in shock, but soon started eating his food as well. Taehyung sniffled back his tears and pretended again to be strong.

              

 

               By the time they were finished packing up camp, the morning cold had faded significantly. With sunlight glistening through the dark trees around them, the group began to head out. This time, Taehyung waited a moment so he could walk alone, lagging behind the others. Wonwoo shot him a worried look but quickly got the message and moved to talk to Jungkook.

               Taehyung tried to listen to their conversation at first, but his attention soon wandered. He though back to all the people that had tried to help him: Wonwoo, Yuju, his favorite professors, his mother, his sister… and he sighed deeply, his soulless gaze fixed on the ground. His guilt was an overwhelming prison he could never seem to escape. His throat began to tighten at the thought of Yuju and his family. He clutched at his chest, breathing deeply to calm himself. Wonwoo turned around discreetly, hoping Taehyung wouldn’t notice, but Taehyung was ready for it. He knew that Wonwoo would be concerned. He motioned frantically with his hand for Wonwoo to turn back around and talk to Jungkook, which his best friend did reluctantly.

               Taehyung managed to calm himself down over the course of the next fifteen minutes. He closed his eyes calmly, thanking the Ether that he didn’t have a massive panic attack while on a two-week journey with his terrifying crush and his best friend. When he returned his attention to his surroundings, he heard his companions whispering. As subtly as he could, Taehyung increased his speed, barely trying to control his curiosity. His eyes widened as heard their discussion.

               “I fucking told you, I didn’t touch him!” Jungkook hissed. “He seemed very upset but he wouldn’t explain it to me. I just want to make sure he’s going to be ok.”

               “I think we can both tell that he’s not ok right now, Jeon Jungkook.”

               “What’s… what’s wrong with him, Wonwoo?” Jungkook’s words felt like a punch to Taehyung’s stomach. He’d always been completely broken, unfixable, and now Jungkook could see it all.

               “He’s been through a lot of terrible shit, Jungkook. More shit than anybody deserves.”

               “What do you mean? – Hey, don’t look at me like that, I just don’t know how to help! Please, tell me how to help him…”

               Their whispers grew more intense, developing into an argument. Taehyung felt his heart sink further. Why did he always have to cause so much crap?

               “He goes through these bouts of horrible self-hatred,” his best friend said. Taehyung balled his hands into fists. This was a breach of trust. “When that happens, there’s not much I can do except to try and remind him of how happy he makes me feel, of how much love I have for everything about him.” Taehyung’s eyes opened wider and he stared up at Wonwoo’s back. He felt a sense of relief and calmness spread lightly through his body. His best friend’s love for him brought calm to the storm in his soul for what must have been the hundredth time.

               “But, how… I don’t really know him that well...”

               “Look, I see how you look at him,” Wonwoo whispered more quietly than before. Taehyung leaned in closer, desperate to hear anything about the way Jungkook felt. “I think you have a better chance at helping him than you know. And I don’t know what’s up with you but he makes you feel something, right?” Jungkook doesn’t seem to respond. “All right, Mr. Jeon, don’t tell me then. But you had better listen up right now. Taehyung is the most special person I know. If you care about him, he needs you to show that. I try to show him that every day. And just in case you were planning something: you may be all smart and tough and I may just be a healing mage, but if you make him shed even a single tear, I’ll fuck you up.”

               Taehyung looked back down, unable to suppress a gigantic grin. He didn’t understand why Wonwoo cared so much but his best friend really was the best.

               “I just don’t know… how to say what I feel-”

               At that moment, Jungkook turned around and saw Taehyung. “Oh, are you… feeling all right?” he said, clearly startled. Wonwoo whipped around as well and made a guilty face as he saw how close Taehyung was.

               “Oh, hey there Tae… are you, uh, all right?” Taehyung looked up at his friend, the smile still on his face.

               “Yeah, I think so,” he said. His companions let out a breath simultaneously.

               “Good to hear. We should have lunch then,” Jungkook said with a relieved smile. Taehyung nodded excitedly, suddenly conscious of his rumbling stomach.

               They found a nice fallen log to sit on and ate the sandwiches Wonwoo packed for them.

               “Glad we brought you along, Wonwoo,” Jungkook said, eliciting a chuckle from everyone. As they ate peacefully, a warm, fuzzy feeling pushed back the darkness in Taehyung’s mind.

 

 

               By the time the sun was setting and Uranus began to peak out from the horizon, Taehyung was struggling to keep the pace. Wonwoo only worked out occasionally, but he had a naturally muscular body. Jungkook seemed to be good at everything, of course, so Taehyung was not at all surprised by his stamina. Taehyung, on the other hand, probably wouldn’t care to exercise even if he did have his life together enough. Wonwoo turned back towards his best friend and chuckled.

               “Tae-ah, why don’t you just tell us if you’re tired?” he asked playfully. Taehyung glared at his best friend, aiming to burn his pale skin with his gaze. “Woah, woah, sorry!” Wonwoo said, feigning fear. “Looks like Tae-ah gets grumpy when he’s tired.” Taehyung rolled his eyes vigorously. He was far too annoyed to realize that Jungkook was giggling fondly at him, a rosy color grazing his cheeks.

              

 

               The group had decided to stop for the night shortly after when they found a large, open clearing. Wonwoo had directed Taehyung to sit for a bit and relax, and Taehyung had reluctantly agreed under the condition that Wonwoo “teach him how to suck water out of his wood.” This, of course, had sent the best friends into a short fit of laughter. Wonwoo had agreed nonetheless, and had announced that he would go hunt, as he wouldn’t be able to eat oatmeal again for breakfast if he ate it again tonight.

               Taehyung was sitting on a log, suppressing his shivers from the cold (and from being alone in the woods at night) when Jungkook returned with arms full. He tossed the wood onto the ground and started making a messy circle from stones around it. Taehyung got up and helped, smiling with his eyes at Jungkook’s worried expression. “I’m fine now,” he said. Jungkook smiled shyly back at him. _Wow, he’s a lot more awkward than I had thought,_ the older boy thought with surprise.

               Jungkook was about to respond when a loud scream shattered the quiet symphony of the forest. Taehyung went pale immediately. “That was Wonwoo,” he gasped. Jungkook was already on his feet, sprinting towards the voice, glancing back to make sure Taehyung was following. Taehyung was running as fast as he could, struggling to keep up with Jungkook. Fear grasped a strong hold on his gut. The mages followed the source of the voice and found Wonwoo standing right at the forests’ edge. He was staring in shock, his gaze frozen between the trees. Taehyung ran to his best friend immediately and put his hands on Wonwoo’s shoulders.

               “Wonwoo, are you ok?? What happened?” he asked shakily.

               “There… there was a… a witch… there!” Wonwoo stuttered, eyes glazed over with terror.

               Jungkook immediately reached into his bag and pulled out a shining dagger. Taehyung patted Wonwoo’s back and helped him sit down, still staring up at his lab partner, afraid of what Jungkook was planning. He turned to Taehyung and spoke with a stone-cold gaze. “I’ll be right back. Make sure he hasn’t been hurt, Taehyung.”

               “Wait, you’re going alone?! You can’t! Everyone knows how dangerous-”

               “Stop. Wonwoo can’t fight and we certainly can’t leave him alone in that state. The witch probably used an illusion spell on him… who knows what kinds of horrible things he just saw.”

               “But if she’s that strong, you can’t beat her either, Jungkook!” he replied, barely aware of how loudly he was shouting. His eyes grew damp as the panic began to grip him. “We should stick together and get back to our stuff.”

               Jungkook shook his head slowly. “If there really is a witch, I’m not planning on fighting her. I just need to see where she is so we know if we’re safe where we set up camp over there. And if you think we’ll be turning back, you’re wrong. We can’t waste another three days because Wonwoo wandered off and got in trouble.”  

               Taehyung was taken aback by Jungkook’s firmness. He remembered how sensitive and gentle he had been just that morning. Unfortunately, this was the Jungkook that Taehyung had been expecting before they embarked on their journey. Taehyung sighed, deciding that he should take care of Wonwoo before arguing more. Wonwoo was barely conscious, shaking in fear. He almost seemed to be losing his grip on reality.

               Jungkook stepped forward slowly and cautiously. Taehyung shifted his vision from Wonwoo and back, nervous for both of his companions. _Stay strong, Taehyung, you have to._ As Jungkook reached the edge of the forest, he peered into the dark, moving his pendant to shine light on the ground. Then he was still. Taehyung held his breath. He watched Jungkook step forward once and kneel to the ground. He was looking for something. He seemed to find it, picking up a small object with his hand. He slowly returned to standing and, after performing a final scan of the woods nearby, walked back to Taehyung swiftly.

               “Are you ok?” Taehyung asked as he pushed up his glasses, heart still pounding. “Did you find something on the ground?”

               Jungkook made a frown and handed the object to Taehyung, who reluctantly took it in his palm. It was a small pouch, no larger than a fist. Embroidered onto the fabric was a small purple eye, about the size of his thumb. He stared at the symbol but his mind was blank. Even if he had seen this before, he probably wouldn’t remember it. He looked back up at Jungkook, a clueless expression on his face. Jungkook leaned down and took the pouch from Taehyung.

               “I believe this is a witch’s mark,” he said. Taehyung’s heart rate increased again, fear pulsing in his temples. “It’s fine though, I promise. I made sure that she isn’t anywhere nearby right now.” He put the pouch into his pocket carefully.  

               Wonwoo had calmed down a bit in the meantime, and he seemed to be falling asleep. “Is it OK if he goes to sleep, Jungkook?” Taehyung asked with fear. He still hadn’t recovered from the intensity of the moment.

               “I think so. If anything, he probably needs the rest after that kind of scare.”

               Taehyung nodded with relief and struggled to lift the barely conscious boy, putting his arm over his shoulder. Jungkook moved to support Wonwoo’s other side and they walked slowly back to the camp.

 

 

               When they returned, Jungkook and Taehyung decided to split one of the remaining two sandwiches in favor of more oatmeal. Wonwoo was already fast asleep in his tent.

               “You promise that an alarm spell will protect him? He’s all by himself and he’s defenseless,” Taehyung asked.

               “Yes, I promise. If anybody even gets near us we will know immediately.” Taehyung sighed, his tension easing at Jungkook’s confidence, and finished his half of the sandwich. He and Jungkook grabbed their backpacks and entered the larger tent. Taehyung spread out his bedroll and lay down. Meanwhile, Jungkook wrote frantically in his journal. Taehyung glanced over curiously and winced when he heard Jungkook chuckle. “You know, it makes it harder for you to eavesdrop when you’ve got my pendant stuck to your forehead,” he cooed. “I can tell exactly where you’re looking.”

               Taehyung’s face was hot as fire and red as a tomato. “I, uh… oh,” he said, giggling quite uncomfortably. He ripped the pendant off his forehead with a grimace and chuckled awkwardly. Jungkook closed his book and slid it back into his bag. He pulled his arms into his bedroll after taking out a change of clothes from his backpack. Taehyung looked away quickly when he realized that Jungkook was changing. Soon, however, he couldn’t stop himself from glancing at Jungkook. Much to his disappointment, his lab partner stayed secure under the covers.

               Taehyung paused a second and then bit his lip. He ruffled around in his backpack as loudly as he could, a devious smirk planted on his face. He grabbed his pajamas, which were decorated with absurdly childish cartoon flames, and pulled them into his bedroll. He began changing, glancing quickly at Jungkook, hoping his lab partner would be tempted to look at him as well. Jungkook was distracted with his backpack, however, trying to find the safest place to put the witch’s pouch. He pulled out a small coin pouch from the smaller pocket and put the witch’s pouch in there. Taehyung became fascinated with how organized his companion was. There was something incredibly satisfying about the order in Jungkook’s backpack. It reflected his highly-organized life – a life Taehyung wished he could lead. He was still staring, lost in thought, well after Jungkook had closed his bag. He turned around towards Taehyung. Taehyung watched as Jungkook’s eyes opened wide and his limbs froze.

               Taehyung looked down and registered that he had become distracted while he was changing, and was no longer wearing a shirt. He had subconsciously moved closer to Jungkook while he was peeking at his organization. Taehyung’s body was hanging halfway out of his covers, his entire torso exposed. Taehyung watched Jungkook as his eyes grazed over Taehyung’s body, staring intensely. Taehyung swallowed hard, suddenly afraid to move even a centimeter. Jungkook lost himself in the sight. Taehyung’s torso was very lean, with just the slightest amount of fat. His muscles were very subtle, but evident under his smooth skin. Jungkook stared at the array of tiny birthmarks that scattered Taehyung’s flat stomach. Taehyung saw Jungkook gulp, hard. His lab partner blinked a few times before looking up at Taehyung’s face. He was no longer wearing his glasses and his bright orange hair was even more disheveled than usual. His face was flushed a pink color and Jungkook noticed how smooth and gentle the skin on his face was. The soft light just behind them casted a shadow on Taehyung’s face, making him look almost like a statue. Jungkook stared directly into Taehyung’s eyes, and the older couldn’t rip his gaze away.

               Jungkook blinked a few times, breaking the intense eye contact, but both remained frozen, unsure of what to do. Taehyung moved his eyes awkwardly around the tent and took a deep breath, attempting to recover from the moment. Jungkook shook his head quickly, bringing Taehyung’s eyes back to his face. Taehyung watched in utter horror as Jungkook bit his lower lip unconsciously, his eyes now focused in on Taehyung’s own full lips.

               Both boys were clearly struggling to find something to say or do, anything to save themselves from this torturous moment, but they somehow kept getting sucked back in. Taehyung soon realized that his hand had been clenched at chest, a subconscious motion brought on by his pounding heart, but also from the embarrassment at his exposed body. He cringed at how obvious it must have been. Jungkook noticed instantly. He made a loud gulping sound again and spoke.

               “Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize you were… changing…” he said, stumbling over his words. He gave Taehyung an embarrassed smile.

               Taehyung’s chest tightened even more as he mentally hit himself. He wanted the moment to end so badly but now he thoroughly regretted doing anything to break Jungkook’s fatal stare. He wanted so badly to look more into Jungkook’s eyes, to see a sign of something there, that maybe Jungkook liked him back, or even just found him mildly appealing. Anything to make him feel less pathetic, less alone. Taehyung opened his mouth to respond but the only words that came out are “uh huh…” _Idiot_.

               “You can… finish getting changed now,” Jungkook said, his voice still awkward.

               Taehyung was upset. He had been so stupid for getting his hopes up. Clearly Jungkook had just been shocked at Taehyung’s sudden indecent exposure. He was a failure compared to Jungkook, who could have anybody he wanted in the whole college, perhaps even the whole world with looks and brains like his. Why would he ever even consider taking Taehyung?

               Taehyung grabbed his sleeping shirt as quickly as possible, tugged it over his head and turned onto his side facing away from Jungkook. He lay there only for a second until he heard Jungkook breathe an “ _oh god_ …” He swung his head around and caught Jungkook staring directly at his butt, bringing Taehyung a wave of both fearful doubt and sudden arousal. Jungkook immediately covered his mouth with his hand and turned onto his back, eyes facing the ceiling. Taehyung raised his eyebrows in disbelief. _No way… was that…?_ He faced the ceiling as well, unable to process the situation. They lay that way for a few minutes, breathing quietly, trying to fade away from existence.

               In the silence, Taehyung was left alone with his darkest thoughts. Forced to lay completely still and not make a single sound, his thought process spiraled quickly out of control. He ridiculed himself over how stupidly he’d been acting towards Jungkook –  staring at him like a babbling idiot, constantly talking about how bad he is at school, being late to their meeting by over 24 hours, always being such a shitty emotional burden on him… his emotional turmoil drove him to open his mouth to speak before his brain could think logically.

               “Jungkook?” he asked softly.

               “Yeah, what’s up?” his lab partner said back, appearing to have mostly regained his composure.

               “I’m sorry…” Taehyung whispered, his voice barely there. Jungkook’s head turned quickly and he saw tears fall down Taehyung’s face. Jungkook suddenly crawled out of his bedroll and moved over to Taehyung, who turned his head towards the wall opposite to Jungkook. The younger sat on his knees and put his hand on Taehyung’s arm.

               “Never mind, I just got sad. You can go back. You really don’t have to let me be a burden on you.”

               “You’re not a burden, Taehyung.”

               “I can tell you’re not the kind of guy who likes to talk about stuff like this. I’m right, aren’t I?”

               This gave Jungkook pause. “Look, I’m not going to lie to you, Taehyung. I don’t really talk to people often, especially not about… hard stuff.”

               Taehyung’s cries became louder and he moved an arm over his face.

               “What’s wrong, Taehyung?” Jungkook was clearly lost and worried, voice full of genuine concern. “I want to talk to you about it, so that’s not the problem, OK?”

               “It’s just, I know I’m a bad mage, and I don’t like that I’m burdening you. I wish you had a better lab partner. I also shouldn’t have brought Wonwoo, he’s disruptive and he wandered off and he told you all about my shitty past. And to be honest, he doesn’t think you’re a nice guy but I can tell that you’re a nice guy-”

               “Taehyung.” His voice was deep and firm.

               Taehyung turned towards Jungkook, tears still on his face. Jungkook looked down at Taehyung softly. He moved his hand to Taehyung’s cheeks and wipes the tears off his face. Taehyung sniffled, his mind a mess of sadness and longing.

               “You’re not a bad mage, Taehyung. You already know this, but some people learn better from reading books, and some learn better from doing, right?”

               “Well, yeah, but I couldn’t even remember something as fucking simple as a flashpin…”

               “ _Stop_. You didn’t remember the name, but as soon as I showed you how to turn it on, you learned it immediately, without any other practice. I noticed that.”

               Taehyung stayed silent for a moment. Tears began to well up in his eyes again. He turned his head back to the wall but Jungkook moved it gently back towards him. His heart thumped at the touch.

               “There’s something else, right?” Jungkook asked. Taehyung suddenly sensed that Jungkook was looking for an answer, that he wanted to hear something. A sliver of hope shone through the gloom.

               “No… that’s not everything…” Taehyung managed to say, sniffling profusely. He wanted so badly to say it, to tell Jungkook how he makes him feel.

               “Tell me what’s wrong, Tae,” he urged.

               “I don’t think you’ll like it,” Taehyung replied.

               “You’re wrong,” Jungkook said, taking a breath. “I have something I have to-”

               “Do you have feelings for somebody?”

               Jungkook’s eyes widened in surprise.

               “You do, don’t you… who is it?” Taehyung asked, his voice soft but his face showing fear. Jungkook bit his lip, hesitating. “Jungkook?” Taehyung said, losing hope with every passing second. “Is it Yein? It seems like she’s into you, right? Wouldn’t you want to date her? She’s pretty, right?” Taehyung grimaced at how childish he sounded. He wanted to kick himself for being such a blabber-mouthed idiot in front of the incredible Jungkook, but he was in too deep and he couldn’t stop himself. His stupidity made him cry even more.

               “No, I really don’t… I mean, I think she’s nice enough, and sure she’s pretty, but I’m not _interested_ in her.”

               “Oh.” Taehyung stayed quiet for a moment. He had convinced himself that Jungkook would like her.

               Taehyung looked up at Jungkook. “I can’t believe I’m talking to you like this…” he said. He was still crying, but now he had a slight smile on his face. Jungkook’s face read total confusion. “To be honest, I never thought you’d even want to talk to me,” he said.

               Jungkook grimaced. “Ether, why wouldn’t I want to talk to you?!” Taehyung’s eyes widened as he saw tears forming in Jungkook’s eyes.

               “You’re so smart… and tall… and attrac- uh - all the people – girls – think you’re so attractive…” Taehyung was quickly growing tired, exhausted by his emotional outburst, but tears were still streaming down his damp cheeks. Jungkook gently wiped the tears again.

               After a short moment, Jungkook’s face showed a new kind of resolve. He patted Taehyung’s head. Taehyung felt Jungkook pushing on his arm, moving him over to the edge of his roll. Taehyung gasped as he realized that Jungkook was sticking his leg into the bedroll. He paused for a moment, looking at Taehyung with worry, and Taehyung was thankfully able to scoot over further to indicate that he wanted Jungkook there. Jungkook smiled with relief and maneuvered himself smoothly into Taehyung’s bedroll, his back on the ground, facing the ceiling. Taehyung still faced Jungkook, his warm breath against Jungkook’s neck, and he felt the younger mage shiver.

               Jungkook turned his head to face Taehyung, whose crying had mostly stopped and was now looking at Jungkook with wonder. “I don’t want you to be sad _and_ lonely,” Jungkook said softly. He brought his hand up to stroke Taehyung’s orange locks softly. Taehyung couldn’t suppress his grin, allowing his eyes to smile brightly.

               “It’s ok if you need to keep crying,” Jungkook said shakily.  

               “I’m not sure why I’m so upset,” Taehyung said, fighting to keep his eyes open. He shifted his shoulders slightly into Jungkook, who gently put his arm around Taehyung’s torso and pulled him in towards his chest. Taehyung looked down and away from Jungkook, afraid that he would see his idiotic smiling. The raven pulled Taehyung in so that his head rested against his chest, his arms nuzzled against Jungkook’s stomach.

               Taehyung drifted into sleep immediately. The warmth they shared brought peaceful exhaustion to Jungkook’s mind as well. “Jungkook?” Taehyung whispered.

               “Hmm?” he barely managed to respond.

               “I didn’t know you were this nice,” Taehyung whispered. Jungkook tightened the embrace and sleep took hold of their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHHH! Thank you so much for reading this! I would love to hear how you're liking it so far so leave a comment if you have any thoughts/suggestions/feedback/criticism! Love you <3


	3. A Dark Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! Sorry it's a day late. I'll probably end up posting every two or three days. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading, I hope you're enjoying it so far! Please let me know what you think in the comments, it keeps me going!
> 
> A special thanks to my temporary editor Mashu ;) <3

               Taehyung’s eyes fluttered open as the sun’s rays peeked through the tent’s screen window. He moved his hand to his face, rubbing his tired eyes with his wrist, and let out a soft yawn. His eyes were drawn immediately to the golden light shining on the gorgeous face belonging to-

_“_ JUNGKOOK?!”

               Taehyung whipped his hand up to cover his mouth. _What on earth is Jungkook doing_ here _…_ Slowly, the night before returned to his memory. His tears, wiped by Jungkook’s gentle touch; his sadness, comforted by Jungkook’s devoted listening; and his loneliness, eased by Jungkook’s firm embrace. Taehyung nearly gagged and breathed deeply to stay calm, accidentally placing a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder to ground himself.

               “ _Taehyung…”_

               Taehyung raised his eyebrows. “Oh, sorry, are you already awake?”

               “ _Taehyung…”_ Jungkook murmured. Taehyung couldn't suppress a boxy grin from ear to ear, somehow proud that Jungkook was dreaming about him. “ _It’s ok, TaeTae…”_ Jungkook muttered. Taehyung gasped. Jungkook had given him a nickname?! And one as adorable as that… Taehyung sighed and lay down next to Jungkook again. He was torn between feeling hopelessly confused and incredibly satisfied. There was a moment of pleasent silence and a content Taehyung let his eyes close. “ _Tae… you’re so…”_ apparently, Jungkook wasn’t done yet.

               Taehyung’s curiosity was insatiable. _What on earth is he dreaming about!_?

               “ _I can’t believe this is happening,”_ Jungkook whimpered, his voice suddenly more impassioned.

               “I can’t either…” Taehyung whispered aloud. _Oh, Ether, I guess I really do have to cover my mouth._

               “ _You really are… too freaking adorable, TaeTae_.” Jungkook’s voice was between a whisper and a whimper, and it was surprisingly seductive.

               Intense shivers ran up Taehyung’s spine. _Is that… really what he just said…?_

               Suddenly, the tent door flew open and an exhausted Wonwoo poked his head through the small space. His eyes were barely open, still sleep-ridden, but he woke up with a jolt when he saw the bedroll.

               “Wait… what the _FUCK?_ ” Wonwoo shouted. Taehyung panicked. He lay back down and grasped at the covers, pulling them swiftly over his and Jungkook’s heads. The commotion was more than enough to wake the raven up, who shifted slightly, opening his eyes to see Taehyung’s face less than a centimeter away from his own. Taehyung’s eyebrows nearly flew off his head.

               “Oh… morning Tae…” Jungkook whispered softly with an adorable smile. “Uh… where are we? Wait, is this your bedroll?” The softness in his voice vanished gradually as he woke up. Wonwoo let out a groan and they heard him zip the door closed at an agonizing pace.

               “Keep it in your pants, boys,” he hissed.

               The pair’s faces glowed beet red. Taehyung cleared his throat lightly and opened his mouth to speak, but Jungkook quickly placed his finger over Taehyung’s lips, causing the boy to nearly lose consciousness.

               “Let’s not talk about it, Tae,” the raven whispered. “For now, should we get up?” Taehyung nodded vigorously, which caused his lips to rub against Jungkook’s finger. An unholy noise slipped from the raven’s mouth. His eyes were locked on the sight of Taehyung's full lips. Despite their supposed agreement, both stayed there, perfectly still. Taehyung looked straight into Jungkook’s eyes. Despite his confusion, he somehow felt desperate for more. Jungkook seemed to understand as he slowly slid his hand down Taehyung’s lips, brushing them softly. He let out a heavy breath at the sight and moved his hand onto Taehyung’s shoulder, and then further down where it grabbed quite firmly at his waist. Taehyung was unable to breathe. He couldn’t let himself do anything to jeopardize the moment. Jungkook paused there, his face reading a similar amount of anxiety. Taehyung could see him struggling with his desires. Jungkook swallowed and finally began to glide his hand further towards the curve of Taehyung’s hip, and was almost there when -

               “YO, FRIENDS,” Wonwoo shouted with spite. “You two are far too young to be getting freaky. I’m making breakfast, now get up and help me.”

               Taehyung pulled away at the sound of Wonwoo’s voice, far too embarrassed to continue. Jungkook’s face read both annoyance and embarrassment, but he smiled at Taehyung for a bit before his face turned back to worry.

               “I’m sorry, Tae,” he said softly.

               “Wha - why?” Taehyung replied.

               “I may be confusing you,” he mumbled. “When I wake up in the morning, especially before I’ve eaten, I lose my control – uh, I mean, I lose my head. I tend to babble in my sleep too. If I said anything… mean to you, you may want to disregard it.” Taehyung’s heart sank in his chest, but he remained composed. “Let’s continue the journey as soon as possible.” Taehyung nodded, unable to hide his disappointment, and Jungkook sighed deeply. Taehyung caught the glimpse of regret in his eyes.

               As they crawled out of their tent, Wonwoo made a face as if holding back a scream. He suppressed his gag reflex – quite audibly – earning him a swift and painful smack from Taehyung’s fist.

               “Oh, good morning friends,” he said to the pair. Taehyung’s hit seemed to have brought him back to reality. Taehyung was blushing profusely and avoiding any eye contact, but Jungkook’s poker face was well-practiced and Wonwoo almost second guessed his memory of the morning. “I’m making some oatmeal, anybody want?”

               Jungkook nodded his head. “Thank you, Wonwoo. I’d like some.”

               Taehyung, however, was glancing around nervously, taking in his surroundings. “Oh, yeah, I’ll eat some!” 

               Wonwoo turned around to fix the meal and Jungkook swiftly poked Taehyung on the crown of his head. The older mouthed an ‘ow’ and Jungkook whispered “sorry. Just act natural, OK? No time to talk now.” Taehyung agreed with a bit of spite and sat next to where Wonwoo stood. His best friend looked down at Taehyung. The boy looked up at him with the grossest puppy-dog eyes he could muster.

               “Can I get some food, WooWoo?” he asked, summoning as much deplorable cuteness as possible. Wonwoo let out a mixture of a gasp and a laugh, and patted Taehyung on his head. 

               “Yes, Tae-ah, now please cut it out with that horrid aegyo crap,” he pleaded. His smile had returned to normal. _Mission accomplished._ Taehyung giggled and relaxed his posture. Jungkook sat down on the other side of Wonwoo and fiddled with this thumbs. Taehyung stole a quick glance at him. He was still quite mystified at the events of the night before; could Jungkook really find him _adorable_? Or was that just one of those things Taehyung should disregard?

               “All right, Jungkook, what’s the plan my friend?” Wonwoo asked cheerfully.

               “We should probably head through the forest until we reach the mountains,” the dark-haired boy responded. “We’re already quite behind schedule, but the way I see it, we won’t reach the site in four days no matter what we do. We may as well break it up into five easier ones. Although, that means we may have to do the lab activity on our own.”

               Taehyung nodded confidently. “There are three of us, so we can handle it!” he grinned. Jungkook let out a mixture of a sigh and a smile.

               “I hope so, TaeTae,” he said carelessly. He flinched immediately and put his hand over his mouth.

               Wonwoo’s head turned with eagle-like swiftness and shot a harsh glance at Taehyung. “Well, you two have certainly gotten close,” he observed with a judgmental gaze.

               Taehyung smacked Wonwoo’s arm again with a satisfying thump. “That’s enough, Won, he was being really nice to me last night. I was upset.”

               Wonwoo’s face turned to concern right away. “Wait, why? Are you OK?” 

               “You had just seen the witch, Wonwoo,” Jungkook interjected with a level voice. “He was shaken up by that, that’s all.” Taehyung smiled thankfully at Jungkook, who flashed him a knowing wink. While Taehyung was busy calming the now-raging hurricane in his heart, Wonwoo scratched his forehead.

               “Oh yeah, that... I don’t really remember what happened last night, to be honest,” he admitted with a frown.

               “She probably cast an illusion spell on you, but it’s only a long-term problem if you still feel symptoms. Have you been feeling all right this morning? Any signs of nausea or migraines?”

               “I think I feel OK, although I felt a little sick after walking in on-”

               “Good! Good, that’s good to hear,” Jungkook interrupted loudly. Wonwoo scoffed and poured some oatmeal into tin bowls, handing one to Taehyung and another to Jungkook. He grabbed himself some and sat down, suddenly conscious of being between the two boys. They ate in uncomfortable silence. Wonwoo scoffed down his meal as quickly as possible and got up as soon as he finished. He announced that he would go to hunt since he couldn’t finish last night. Jungkook told him to be more careful and Wonwoo fled the scene immediately. After a moment of awkward silence, Jungkook mustered up a bit of courage and scooted into the vacant seat. He looked at Taehyung earnestly. Taehyung returned his gaze with wide eyes.

               “We should talk about what happened,” Jungkook said. Taehyung nodded and tried to calm his churning stomach. “Do you want to speak first?”

“Um… I guess,” Taehyung muttered. Jungkook motioned for him to talk. After a deep inhale, he began. “I just want to say thank you. I honestly didn’t know you saw me as a friend and even though you were just trying to be a nice person, I really appreciate you comforting me.”

               A disappointed frown came to the younger’s face. “I really didn’t do it just because I was trying to be nice, Taehyung… I want to be close to you.”

               Taehyung put a hand on his thumping chest. _He wants to be friends, Taehyung. Stop getting your hopes up, you’re just making yourself miserable. He could never be interested in a guy like you._

               “That’s good,” was all Taehyung could manage to respond. He stared at his oatmeal for a bit, still letting himself sulk. The sound of shifting drew his gaze back to his lab partner. Jungkook’s face was dangerously near his own. Something flashed in the raven’s eyes and he suddenly grabbed the back of Taehyung’s head. The impulsive force caused Taehyung to flinch. He was caught off guard, too fast. He shut his eyes tight and clenched his teeth, bracing himself for the shattering impact. Suppressed memories; shards of horror, dejection, loneliness; the flood gates flew open in his brain. His past came rushing back to him…

 

 

 

_Taehyung poked his small head out of the bathroom, his eyes darting anxiously from side to side. His best friend, Yuju, was at his side, grabbing onto his arm. “Tae, you have to go now,” she whispered. Taehyung looked back at Yuju with tears in his eyes._

_“But I don’t want to be caught… Kai’s gonna beat me up if he sees me again,” he whimpered._

_“Taehyung, listen to me! I already told you that if you can’t fight him, you have to outrun him. He’s a big jerk, but he’s not as fast as you. He’s mad because he saw you with Soojung, but he’ll get over it by tomorrow when she explains that it was innocent. Trust me, I talked to her about it earlier.”_

_Taehyung had spoken with Soojung for just a short moment, but was unlucky enough for her boyfriend, Kai - the biggest bully in school - to see them together. He had chased after Taehyung immediately with feral screams. Taehyung had ducked into the girl’s bathroom the second Kai had lost sight of him. He texted Yuju frantically, who had come to help protect him._

_“I know… but what if he’s still waiting for me around the corner?”_

_“If you stay here, Tae, he’ll…” Yuju froze, staring down the hallway behind Taehyung. He spun around, knowing all too well who Yuju’s eyes were on. Kai and his two best friends (more like goonies), Lay and Taemin, were sprinting full speed towards Taehyung, their eyes full of rage._

_“There you are, you little twerp!” Kai screamed with a horrible glee. Taehyung yelped and tried to shut the door but Lay was faster, grabbing the handle with far more strength than Taehyung had. “You might want to get out of here, chick,” Kai warned Yuju._

_Yuju spread out her arms with as fierce a look on her face as she could muster. “You have to stop, you big bully!” she said, her voice wavering._

_Kai chuckled and took a step towards Yuju, who shut her eyes tight reflexively._

_“Get out, Yuju,” Taehyung hissed. “Just go, he doesn’t want you anyway.” Yuju was about to protest when Kai put his hand on her back and shoved her out of the bathroom with unnecessary force. She let out a yelp as she tumbled to the ground. By the time she’d recovered, the door was shut, leaving her only with Taehyung’s muffled cries._

_Taehyung struggled as much as he could, but he was small and weak. He had lost most of his appetite when his family shattered. His biological father had never been a presence in his life. He worked as a distant kingdom’s court wizard and had left them when Taehyung was an infant. Things really fell apart when his sister was diagnosed with a terminal illness. He spent most of his nights at her side, reading her stories and comforting her through the pain. His mom, a single mother, worked as hard as she could, but even Taehyung could tell she was struggling. Just before his sister passed away five months after the diagnosis, his mom married Charles, a jerk of a man, who at least brought in some money. His mother had stopped working by then. She had only known Charles for three weeks when he proposed. Taehyung knew his mother only wanted to do what was best for him, but it pained him to know that she dealt with a man that unpleasant just for his sake._

_Taehyung gave in immediately. Kai’s strong hold was unshakeable. He heard Yuju sprinting down the hallway at full speed, and apparently, Kai’s goonies did too, as they urged him to finish the job. Kai threw him onto a toilet seat, balled his hand into a fist, and smacked Taehyung across the jaw. His vision blurred for a moment, the pain searing around his fragile face._

_“You’re a goddamn wimp. You’ve only got one friend, and she just sticks around because she feels sorry for you. You poor, poor thing,” he cooed, grabbing firmly onto Taehyung’s throbbing jaw. He pulled up on his chin, forcing him to look into his eyes. “YOU’RE A WORTHLESS FAGGOT, YOU HEAR ME?!” he screamed, hoarse voice shaking Taehyung to the core. The boy’s tears were falling freely now, mixing with the blood running from his bruised mouth. “Nobody will ever love you. Piece of fucking trash.” Kai spit right into his eye and cackled with an evil glee._

_“Kai, finish the job, will you?” Taemin said as he examined his nails. “I don’t feel like dealing with the stupid principal right now.” Kai obliged, and smacked Taehyung’s face one more time as hard as he possibly could. Taehyung faded in and out of consciousness, the pain nearly too horrible to bear. He felt Kai pull forwards on his jaw and his eyes widened as Kai pushed his head backwards. His skull smashed onto the wall behind him._

_Taehyung sank slowly to the floor, his vision blurry, unable to control himself. His sobbing was inconsolable and the pain was unbearable._

_“I really am worthless,” he whispered as his eyes shut._

 

 

               Taehyung screamed, his eyes shut tight. Jungkook moved back and stared at him, his mouth gaping open.

               “Please, don’t hurt me, I’m so, so sorry I tricked you into… sleeping with me, and- touching me!” Taehyung pleaded frantically. Jungkook let go of his head instantly and Taehyung found himself thanking the Ether for the release. He looked at Jungkook hesitantly. The raven’s eyes were wide and his mouth hung slightly open. He slowly moved his hand toward Taehyung’s shoulder, but was stopped midair by Wonwoo’s grasp. Taehyung looked at his best friend, whose face was full of a truly frightening rage.

               “Get out of here,” he breathed, his glare cold as ice. Jungkook looked to Taehyung, and back to Wonwoo again. Wonwoo’s right brow shot up. “Don’t make me say it again, Jeon Jungkook.” Jungkook slowly rose, staring now at Taehyung. Taehyung began to weep loudly and buried his face into his hands. Wonwoo reached quickly and pushed Jungkook’s chest hard, causing him to stumble backwards. “I said GET OUT!” he screamed.

               Jungkook stepped backwards slowly, still in shock. Taehyung watched through cloudy vision as his lab partner turned and walked quickly into the forest behind him.

  


               Taehyung cried on Wonwoo’s shoulder for at least an hour, telling him about the unwelcome flashback, what happened the night before, and the turmoil his feelings for Jungkook had been causing him. Wonwoo couldn’t help but shed tears with him. Taehyung was the sweetest, most innocent boy Wonwoo had ever met, but he knew all too well that his past was riddled with terrible darkness. He held Taehyung’s head tightly against his shoulder, his other hand rubbing his back.

               “Tae, you’re going to be OK, I promise,” he said. “He wasn’t going to hurt you, I swear.”

               “But _they_ did… they always did… every day…”

               “I know Tae, I know. But you’re not there anymore. You’re not.” Taehyung’s crying finally began to lighten and he looked up at Wonwoo.

               “You’re the best friend I could ever ask for, Won,” he said, managing a smile on his tortured face. At this, Wonwoo’s gentle crying turned to sobs.

               “No, Tae, that’s you.”

               As Wonwoo continued to comfort Taehyung, a soft cough came from behind them.

               “Wonwoo, is there any way I could speak with you?” Taehyung heard Jungkook ask as gently as possible, maintaining a generous distance.

               Wonwoo spun his head around and prepared to shout when Taehyung stopped him.

               “It’s ok, Won, I’m fine,” Taehyung whispered. He needed a moment alone and he didn’t want to be the one to explain everything to Jungkook. Wonwoo looked into Taehyung’s eyes for a moment, and eventually nodded his head. He got up slowly and approached Jungkook.

  


_The bathroom door flew open and Yuju sprinted inside, looking frantically for her best friend. She checked every stall, not hearing a sound, when she finally saw Taehyung’s body, looking impossibly small and broken, collapsed on the floor. “Holy shit…” she whispered in horror. It was far, far worse than any of the other times they had assaulted Taehyung. “Hey! He’s in here! Please, hurry! I don’t know if he’s still breathing! Please, help us!” she screamed, tears streaming down her face._

 

 

               The afternoon sun warmed the trio’s backs as they walked, helping them fight off the chill of the North’s near-eternal winter marvelously. It had been three hours since Wonwoo and Jungkook finished their private conversation. The group had left shortly after, prompted by Jungkook’s realization that they would most likely arrive that day to the town of Garrow – their first and only stop in civilization – if they left early enough.

               As they walked silently on the snowy path, Taehyung began to feel overwhelmed with emotions yet again. He stared at Jungkook’s back. His head was tilted down slightly, his long robes dragging gently in the snow. Taehyung couldn’t help but notice how perfectly proportioned his shoulders were, how obvious his strength was even through the thick winter attire. He remembered again that he had slept in the same tent – the same _bedroll_ – as the most capable guy in school (and quite possibly the hottest as well). His face flushed.

               And then Taehyung remembered his dream. His eyes widened in fear, recalling how the shadows slashed them, how they mutilated them, how Jungkook was slaughtered by some unknown force. And yet, he refused to let go of Taehyung’s hand until death. Taehyung shivered at the thought. He knew it was just a dream, but it still felt so _real_.

               And he remembered how he treated Jungkook when he got close. He screamed at him. He made Wonwoo think Jungkook was going to hurt him. The reality was, Taehyung still had trouble understanding what Jungkook's motives were, but he knew logically that he would never hurt him. He also knew logically that Jungkook seemed to be attracted to him on some level, but Taehyung couldn’t bring himself to accept it. He reasoned with himself again, twisting obvious reality to fit his poisonous perspective. _He may think you’re good looking, but there’s no way he could ever_ love _you. He’s seen you cry at least once per day this trip, what kind of idiot would still care about you after that?_ His eyes bore into the back of Jungkook’s head, trying hard to reach him somehow, to see into his beautiful soul.

               Taehyung snapped back to reality as he felt Wonwoo’s tight grasp on his arm. Taehyung turned to him. Wonwoo whispered quietly, “ _he can’t hurt you._ ” Taehyung took a deep breath and nodded. He was about to respond when he hears Jungkook give off a bizarre laugh, almost sounding crazed.

               “We’re here!” he cried, raising his arms above his head with uncharacteristic enthusiasm. Taehyung looked past Jungkook and saw wooden gates. Above the gates sat a sign that read _Town of Garrow_. Taehyung smiled, incredibly relieved to finally see a sign of normal human life again. The trio walked to the gates as they chatted casually about how nice it would be to have a break from camping. A guard popped a head out of the sorry excuse for a watchtower built into the wooden wall.

               “Who goes there?” he called, his voice high-pitched and cartoon-like. Taehyung let out a giggle at the contrast between the guard’s line and his dorky voice.

               “Greetings, good sir. I am Jeon Jungkook, third-year student of Frosthelm College of the Magical Arts, and these are my two peers, Kim Taehyung and Jeon Wonwoo." Taehyung let out an even louder giggle. Jungkook’s ultra-formal language sounded so silly after hearing him open up to him so much over the past two days.

               “From Frosthelm, you say? Why have you come separate from the group that arrived yesterday?” The guard opened the gate as he asked the question and Taehyung wonder what the point of it was.

               “We ran late,” Jungkook explained with a charming smile. “Fear not, we only seek to stay overnight.”

               “No, no fear at all!” the guard responded, waving his hands frantically at his chest. “We’re a small town and our inn can use all the business it can get.”

               The trio thanked the guard and walked into Garrow. The town was just a meager collection of around fifteen small buildings. The main road contained the inn, two shops, a restaurant, a library, and Garrow’s town hall. The structures were built from a deep brown wood. The other buildings all branched off the main road on smaller dirt paths. The houses were small log cabins, most of them adorned with chimneys that let off a light gray smoke. Taehyung smiled at the cuteness of the village. As they made their way to the inn, Taehyung looked up at the mountains that began just after Garrow’s borders. They were breathtakingly majestic. Patches of green trees rested in the valleys between snowy peaks and the bright sun painted their snowy peaks a gorgeous gold. He was almost looking forward to camping in the regal mountains after spending two days in the eerie gloom of the forest.

               The companions entered the inn and were immediately drawn to the warmth of the fireplace. A young woman behind the front desk spoke to them as they unwound in the atmosphere. “Welcome to Garrow Inn,” she called. She had long black hair and a cute face. Taehyung smiled to himself when he noticed that she looked very similar to a penguin. “I’m Sohye, the innkeeper here.”

               “Nice to meet you, Sohye,” Wonwoo said, walking up to her smoothly. Taehyung rolled his eyes. Wonwoo had a very unique style of flirting of which subtlety was never a part. “I’m Wonwoo. This is quite the place you’ve got here. It’s been a while since I’ve felt warmth like this. But wait, could that just be your presence…?”

               Sohye grimaced and reached below the front desk. She pulled out a long broom, which she promptly smacked Wonwoo on the arm with. “Back off, creep!” Taehyung held his sides as he laughed while Jungkook ran to pull Wonwoo back.

               “So sorry about him, Ms. Sohye,” Jungkook said. “Our Wonwoo’s a little dumb sometimes. My name is Jeon Jungkook, by the way. And that’s Kim Taehyung laughing over there.” Taehyung watched Jungkook flash Sohye a truly mesmerizing smile. She stared at him, her face suddenly red, and frantically looked for a room key on the board behind her.

               “Not- Not a problem at all, Mr. Jeon,” she stumbled. Taehyung felt his face heat up. “You’re more than welcome to stay here any time! Is that three rooms then?” Taehyung felt a glimpse of hope that Jungkook would ask for two rooms so they could share one again, but his hopes were squashed when he saw Jungkook nod. Sohye frantically grabbed three room keys from the wall behind her and handed them to Jungkook. Taehyung noticed that there were ten total key hooks, yet only four keys were missing, including theirs. He wondered how the inn stayed open with so few costumers.

               “Thank you very much, miss,” the raven said with another flash of his smile. Sohye blushed profusely and stared down at her hands. Taehyung stormed over to his companions and grabbed them both, pulling on their arms.

               “Mr. Kim, your rooms are the other way,” Sohye said, her face still flushed red. Taehyung huffed and spun around, still dragging his companions. Jungkook began to giggle but was quickly silenced by Taehyung’s icy glare. They trudged up the stairs and found their rooms, the first three in the hallway. Wonwoo announced that he would claim the one nearest to the front desk and Jungkook walked to the third, allowing Taehyung the closer room to the entrance.

               The two lab partners still hadn’t addressed each other directly since that morning and it was becoming exhausting for Taehyung. He realized that he was letting his embarrassment get the better of him. He decided to take a quick nap and then go try to talk with Jungkook.

 

 

               Taehyung awoke just as the day reached a close. He stared out his window, taking in the gorgeous sunset view. The mountains stood regally, breaking up the pastel pinks and oranges that painted the sky above them. He sighed and rested his head on his arm. It really was a breathtaking sight. Of course, with that thought, he remembered his lab partner. He took a deep breath and grabbed his warmest coat, unwilling to put on his undercoat after wearing it for three days straight. He noticed as he prepared to leave his room that there was a sign displaying all the inn’s services. They offered room service, a 30% discount at the library, and even a clothes-washing service. Taehyung smiled and grabbed his bag.

               When he reached the lobby, he frowned, discovering that it was still Sohye's shift. She looked up at him from a book and Taehyung could swear she was blushing again.

               “Hello, Mr. Kim!” she said happily. Taehyung let himself loosen up a bit. She seemed genuine enough - and she really did look like a penguin.

               “Hi Sohye,” he replied. “I saw that you offer a laundry service. Can I get that for the clothes in this bag?”

               “Of course, sir! Normally that’d be an extra thirty gold but for respectable customers like you and that Jungkook fellow, I’ll make it ten.” She smiled at him brightly.

               Taehyung was taken aback by her generous offer. “How do you make a profit charging so little and with so few customers?” he said with concern.

               “Oh, the inn is just a little hobby of father’s,” she replied. “Most of the people in this town work by mining star matter in the mountains. He used to work here part time but he’s too old now to do both jobs. I decided to take it on since it’ll give me some valuable work experience. That being said, I hope to go to wizardry school someday! Just like you all.”

               “I see. That’s great! How old are you though?”

               “I’m sixteen, so I’m still too young to go.”

               Taehyung let himself smirk with pride. _That’s how old Jungkook was when_ he _started._ Taehyung coughed abruptly into his hand when he realized how rudely he was smirking. “Oh wow, you are still young. You have plenty of time, just make sure you study… unlike me.” Taehyung grinned a boxy smile at her again and went up to see where Jungkook was. He knocked three times on each of his friend’s room. Neither answered so he sat down in the hallway to think. _They’re probably exploring the town or having fun somehow_. _I guess I shouldn’t be surprised they didn’t invite me, especially considering how miserable I am to be around._ Taehyung slapped himself lightly across the face. He was feeling happy enough that he didn’t want to start kicking himself again. He stood up, deciding that he would ask if Sohye had any idea where his friends had gone.

 

 

               “I think that Mr. Jeon and that other oaf- uh, I mean, valued customer! Excuse me! Uh… I know they said they wanted to go to the hot springs.”

               Taehyung’s interest was piqued. “Where are those?”

               Sohye explained how to get there. It seemed simple so Taehyung left after waving her goodbye. The moment he stepped out into the cold, he regretted not saving his undercoat. The sun had all but set and Pontus was peeking its face out from the mountainous horizon. He walked towards the mountains and shoved his hands firmly into his warm pockets.

               As he walked, Taehyung felt an eerie chill. The town was so silent, especially for a time like this. The culture here was so different from college, where parties were ever popular at night.

               When he reached the last dirt road, he took a left, just as Sohye had directed. He soon found himself at the base of the closest mountain. The small wooden shack that she described sat by the mountain’s foot. Taehyung walked up the stairs and opened the door. Warm steam immediately hit his face when he entered, eliciting a sigh from his chilled lips. He wiped off his now-fogged glasses and walked up to the counter. A short, older man with a bowl cut stared up at him. His eyes squinted as he looked Taehyung up and down silently.

               “Hello, sir,” Taehyung said, feeling immensely uncomfortable by the man’s judgemental gaze. “Are these the hot springs?”

               “What the hell else would they be?!” he replied, his voice shockingly harsh. Taehyung frowned and put his hands back into his pockets. “If you’re looking to take a bath, the boy’s side is that one,” he said, pointing at the wall to Taehyung’s right. "Just don't try any fast moves there, kid," he warned. Taehyung nodded with a forced smile, deciding he had little chance of understanding what  _that_ was supposed to mean, and walked quickly though the door. He was in a large public changing room. The room was empty despite its spacious size and large collection of individual lockers. He picked number 8, his favorite number, and removed his clothing. He grabbed a white towel from the bench near the exit and walked out the door.

               The hot springs were lovely. It was identical in setup to the outdoor public bathhouse he grew up using, but these springs gave off a lovely warm steam. Taehyung felt even warmer than he had in the wooden shack even though he was outside. He approached the water and stuck his toe in. It was very warm, but he hadn’t bathed properly in over three days and he wasn't about to waste a second of this opportunity. He threw his towel down and slipped into the water, wincing at the temperature change. He slowly settled into the water and leaned up against the wall of the pool, letting his eyes close slowly. He nearly began to drift off when a loud shout into his right ear nearly gave him a heart attack.

               “BOO!” the voice screamed, rattling Taehyung to the core. Taehyung spun around and reflexively put his hands up in front of his head, preparing to hurl an ice shard at the man. He lowered his hands and groaned when he saw Wonwoo standing right behind him, entirely in the nude, clutching his ribs in a childish laughing fit.

               “Taehyung, my friend!” he managed in between gasps. “I really got you didn’t I?”

               “Fuck off, Wonwoo. If I weren’t such a kind and forgiving person I’d drown you right here.”

               “Tae-ah, how could you even say that?!” Wonwoo slipped into the pool next to Taehyung and let out an overexaggerated sigh. He put his arm around Taehyung’s shoulder, receiving a quick slap in the face from his best friend. Wonwoo stared at Taehyung in faux betrayal. “Why me, Tae?!” he whimpered.

               “Don’t put your arm around me, Won, I’m not into you like that,” he grumbled. Wonwoo laughed at his irritation and relaxed once more.

               “Oh, come on, if you didn’t know how much of a jerk I am you’d totally be into me, right, Tae-ah?” Taehyung scrunched up his nose in disgust.

               “The thought of even kissing you makes me sick.” He ran some bar soap from a nearby bin across his body.

               “I’ll bet Sohye doesn’t feel that way,” Wonwoo chided in his most idiotic voice.

               “Yeah, I’ll bet _she_ would murder you right on the spot if you tried that one,” Taehyung laughed.

               “You’ve only been mean to me since you got to this place, Tae! What’s wrong? You don’t feel happy without Jungkook around?” Taehyung winced at the sudden mention his crush. He knew that Wonwoo was only trying to cheer him up. He also knew that Wonwoo had been putting on a show for Jungkook by acting all seriously. He was clearly trying to make up for lost time in goofiness, but he had struck a sensitive nerve.

               “Oh crap, I’m sorry Tae,” he apologized. “I really shouldn’t be acting like such a fucking dick.”

               “It’s fine, it's fine. I just... don’t know what to do about him right now. I know it’s stupid, but it’s hard to even hear his name. I figured he'd be here too...”

               “Yeah, he was actually just here with me, but he left early, in case…” Wonwoo’s voice trailed off. Taehyung turned to him with suspicion.

               “In case what, Wonwoo?”

               “Well, he just mentioned something about it being too embarrassing if you came, and said he’d go to the tavern instead to have a few drinks. If you ask me, that guy needs to get hammered tonight.”

               Taehyung’s face turned red from just the thought of Jungkook without clothes. He raised an eyebrow at his friend. “Why would it be so embarrassing? Do you know something you’re not telling me, Jeon Wonwoo?”

               “I only know what you know, Taehyungie. That boy keeps his handsome mouth shut when I try to talk to him about his feelings. But he talks about that kind of thing to you, doesn’t he?”

               Taehyung swallowed. “I guess he does, yeah…”

               “There’s your answer, then,” Wonwoo stated simply. He folded his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. “It’s way too obvious to me, so why can’t you get it through your thick skull that he clearly wants to fuck you?”

               “Wonwoo!” Taehyung shouted, entirely scandalized. 

               “Sorry, sorry,” Wonwoo laughed. “Just don’t get so gloom and doom about it, Tae.”

               Taehyung nodded gently. His best friend always seemed to get to the important stuff, even when he was being goofy. He turned back to Wonwoo. “So, you think he’s going to get drunk?”

               “Well I know _I_ certainly would if I were as stuck up as him and in a situation as awkward as you and him-” Before he could finish, Taehyung was out of the springs, wrapping the towel around his thin waist. “Hey, Tae, you’re just gonna get up and go like that?! Don’t you think you should let him have some space?”

               “I know he’s smart and capable, but Jungkook’s too fucking hot to be drunk in a new place all by himself,” Taehyung replied, his face red from worry. “I wouldn’t be able to handle it if he…”

               “Hooked up with somebody else?” Taehyung looked away, embarrassed at his preemptive jealously. “Look, Taehyung, you’re not dating him yet. We may be pretty much positive that he likes you, but for all we know he’s got raging internalized homophobia or some shit. If he does do something like that, it may not have much to do with you at all.”

               “I don’t care! If I see even a single hickey on his neck I won’t be able to look him in the eye for weeks. I can’t let that happen,” Taehyung spat. He was well aware of how creepily possessive he was being, but he wasn’t about to let up. If anything, Taehyung suddenly felt impassioned enough to confess to the raven right there. Jungkook was the first guy he’d ever been this into and he couldn’t let the opportunity slip him by.

 

 

               Taehyung flung the tavern doors open swiftly. He stepped inside and his eyes darted from person to person. He guessed that most of the adults in town were probably here. There were nearly forty people drinking beer, dancing, or some combination of the two. He walked over to the counter and placed two gold coins on the table.

               “Could I get a shot of whiskey, please?” he asked politely, eyes still scanning the crowded room. The bartended squinted at him with a raised eyebrow. Taehyung backed up a tiny step, feeling suddenly small at the huge man’s judgmental gaze. “Is… something wrong?” he asked softly.

               “Don’t like pansies in this bar,” the hideous man scoffed. He took the gold coins from the table and reached under the counter to pull out an empty glass. Taehyung let out the breath he was holding and looked at the other people at the bar. _At least he’s going to give me the beer._ When he turned back to the man, he saw that the man hadn’t moved. He was still staring at him. He slowly moved the glass up towards his mouth, made a truly vile sound with this throat, and spat up into the cup. Taehyung winced at the sight. “Got your beer right here, fag,” he hissed.

               Taehyung’s eyes widened. _‘Worthless faggot.’_ He took two small steps back, turned around and darted for the door. When he approached the door, he gasped, met by two taller men staring at him. They grinned evilly at Taehyung, revealing sickly yellow teeth. Taehyung’s eyes darted around as he looked desperately for an escape route. There was a window to his left, but he knew there wasn’t time to open the window and get out with smashing through the glass. If he did that his group would be kicked out of the town in a second. His adrenaline kicked in and he approached the bartender again with caution.

               “Listen, please!” he pleaded. He was scared, but his voice had strength. “I don’t want any trouble. How about I just give you some gold? Let me out of here, all right? Nobody has to get hurt, and you get paid.”

               The man cocked his head, his interest clearly piqued. “How much you got, wussy?”

               Taehyung plunged his hands into his pockets and came up with 15 gold pieces. He looked up at the man, but much to his dismay the ugly guy still wore a frown. “Please? This is all I have on me!”

               “That’s enough to get you out with just one black eye,” the man said with an evil smirk. Taehyung sighed and placed the money on the counter. He lowered his head and nodded slowly.

               The bartender snapped his fingers and Taehyung felt a pair of arms pulling on his shoulders from behind him. He closed his eyes tight and felt himself be pushed up against the wall. He retreated into his mind to drown out the voices of the men around him with the memories in his head. He wanted so badly to forget, but he wanted even more to block new memories from forming. He couldn't handle adding another tragedy to the vault.

               He felt a punch drive square into his jaw.

_‘Worthless faggot,’_ he whispered inwardly, desperate to convince himself that this was all just him reliving his past yet again. _‘You’re a goddamn wimp. Your only friend just sticks around because he feels sorry for you.’_ He felt another crack on his face, this time on his nose. This wasn’t part of the deal, but it was past that already. He was no longer present, no longer alive. He was alone, and that was all he’d ever be. _‘You poor thing.’_

               Taehyung was still blocking out his own cries of pain when he realized that he was no longer being touched. He stood there, completely still, not daring to open a single eye. Maybe the jerks had decided he had gotten enough for his money? He slowly winced an eyelid open and pain seared through his eye. The two men from earlier were recoiling in pain. Their backs were facing Taehyung, but he could tell well enough what was happening. He gasped and watched as one of the men buckled at the waist and fell slowly to the ground, groaning. Behind him stood Jeon Jungkook, his hand balled into a fist, blood trickling slowly from his knuckles.

               Taehyung struggled to keep himself awake for a few more moments, his vision slowly fading, as he watching Jungkook smack the other man right in his eye. Jungkook had a gadget around his middle finger, a sort of spiky ring that glowed red like embers. Tears were spilling from the raven’s eyes and Taehyung realized that he was letting out a deep, rattling scream, possessed by some sort of primal rage. He watched Jungkook sprint towards the bar, still cursing viciously, leap over the counter and strike the gigantic bartender directly between the eyes. Taehyung watched the bartender double over, letting out a cry. Jungkook’s torso jerked in place and Taehyung knew that he was kicking the bartended in the stomach, hard. As Taehyung felt himself lose consciousness entirely, he saw Jungkook spin around abruptly. He saw him shout his name, but he heard nothing, his mind fading to blackness.

 

 

 

               Taehyung awoke to the sound of yelling. The moment he gained consciousness, he jolted upright, nearly smacking his forehead on the bed board behind him. He braced his hand on the wall beside him as a sudden throbbing pain pulsed in his ribs, threatening to knock him out again. He breathed deeply and waited for the pain to subside. As it did, he began to hear the voices more clearly.

               “I promise you that they were only doing what they had to, officer!” It was Wonwoo. He sounded more panicked than he had been when his ex-girlfriend tried to cast a fireball in his face. “If you’ll let me spend a few hours healing them up, I promise we will pack our things and leave immediately.”

               “Your ‘friend’ here beat the living day lights out of our mayor’s twin sons and nearly murdered our only bartender. You think I’ll just let you waltz on off after that?!” Taehyung recognized the cartoon-like voice as the guard who welcomed them the afternoon of their arrival.

               “I told you already, they were beating up my... my friend!” This voice was Jungkook’s, clearly crying with rage.

               “And I told _you_ already, the mayor isn’t going to buy that excuse. His sons are too precious to him. You two know that I believe you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be exiled from my own town for even suggesting his children could do something like that.”

               “How could you be such a fucking cowa-”

               “Jeon, that’s enough,” Wonwoo commanded. “Officer, I have an idea that will get us, the innocent party, out of harm’s way and still let you keep your job. Are you willing to hear me out? Good. Here’s how it goes.” As Wonwoo began to explain the plan, Taehyung slowly rose out of bed, breathing deeply to handle the throbbing pain, and inched towards the door. “You continue to pretend that you believe the mayor’s side of the story. Then, Jungkook here goes and deals with Sohye. I’m entirely sure that he can find a way to get her in on the plan.” Taehyung heard an exacerbated sigh from Jungkook, which he mirrored in his own chest. The pain in his ribs spiked at the inhale and he made a mental note to avoid all heavy breathing for now. “Sohye gets us into the basement of this building to hide us. Meanwhile, you tell the mayor that we’ve gone missing and that you need him to send a search party into the woods nearby. We’ll sneak out the second we see an opening after I heal them enough to travel again.”

               “How do you expect to find an opening if a search party is looking for you, Mr. Jeon?”

               “I think we’re just going to have to take a leap of faith on that one,” Wonwoo said. Taehyung could hear the excited grin in his voice.

 

 

               Sohye helped Taehyung climb into the basement, her arms guiding him at his sides. He collapsed against the ladder the second his legs hit the floor. Sohye winced at the sight of his excruciating pain but she put on a smile when he whispered a thank you to her. Wonwoo threw his and Taehyung’s backpacks onto the floor from further up the ladder and hopped down carefully to avoid landing on Taehyung. Jungkook hadn’t come down yet as he had been told to keep watch. He hadn’t seen Taehyung’s current condition yet. Wonwoo had been worried that if he did, he would make a bolt to the mayor’s house and murder his family on the spot.

               It had only taken Jungkook’s most charming smile and the sight of Taehyung’s horrible condition to convince Sohye to help them out. She was also hopeful that having friends at the nearest magical arts school would help her learn a thing or two before applying to schools herself. She helped Wonwoo half guide, half carry Taehyung to the large abandoned pantry at the opposite wall of the basement where they would hide out. Taehyung bit his lips hard so he wouldn’t moan at the pain. He felt guilty enough as it was for causing such a mess.

               Sohye announced that she was going to get Jungkook. They only had a few minutes until the search party began. Unfortunately, the officer had informed them earlier that the mayor had the bright idea of searching the village buildings as well as the forest in case those clever bastards were hiding underneath their own noses. Sohye had guaranteed them that not even her parents knew of the decrepit pantry’s existence, but Taehyung was filled with doubt as always.

               Sohye returned and climbed down the ladder. Jungkook scrambled down the ladder immediately after her, glancing around wildly to find Taehyung. Taehyung could see Jungkook from where he sat, but the pantry entrance was well hidden. Jungkook had bruises on his arms and face, but he also saw tears streaming from his eyes. Taehyung winced at the pain of seeing Jungkook so worried for him. It hurt just as much as the broken ribs.

               Sohye put a finger on her lips, reminding Jungkook to not make a sound. She told him to stay there for a moment and climbed up the ladder, shutting the cellar entrance behind her. The moment the trap door was closed, Jungkook speed walked to the nearest wall, squinting in the near-total darkness to look for Taehyung. He followed along the walls until he was near the pantry. Wonwoo whispered his name and Jungkook climbed into the pantry. He shut the door quietly. Jungkook reached into his pocket and pulled out his flashpin. “No, Jungkook,” Taehyung whispered, but hearing his voice only made Jungkook move faster. He activated the pin and stuck it quickly on his chest. When the blue light washed over Taehyung’s collapsed body, Jungkook's tears turned to silent sobs. He moved over to Taehyung, his face twisted in remorse. He brought his head close to Taehyung’s and stared deeply into his swollen eyes.

               “Taehyung, are you conscious?” he whispered. Taehyung watched Wonwoo get up slowly and tip toe to the furthest corner of the pantry, ducking behind an empty row of shelves to give them privacy. He wouldn’t be able to heal Taehyung until the search party left, anyway. The glow of magical energy would tip them off.

               “Yes… I’m here.”

               Jungkook gingerly wrapped his arms around Taehyung’s fragile body. Taehyung winced. It hurt but Jungkook’s touch made him feel safe again. He rested his head on top of Taehyung’s, the only part of the older boy’s body that didn’t feel entirely broken. Taehyung rested his head in the crook of Jungkook’s neck.

               “I’m so, so sorry…” Jungkook whispered between sobs. Taehyung began to sob too, finally allowing himself to feel again for the first time since he had woken up.

               “It’s not your fault, Jungkook. You saved my life.”

               “No! I shouldn’t have run off without telling you! I knew you would look for me… that’s part of why I did it…” Taehyung smiled at the confession.

               “I don’t blame you,” Taehyung whispered, barely audible. He was rapidly losing the battle against his exhaustion. He looked up through the tiny window that gave the softest lighting to the dreary basement. Gaia’s moons were just beginning to overlap each other. No wonder he was so tired. It had only been a few hours since Jungkook saved his life. “Pontus is hiding,” he whispered. “That means it’s time for bed.” Jungkook nuzzled his face into Taehyung’s soft orange hair.

               “Taehyung… I love you,” he whispered.

               Taehyung was already fast asleep.


	4. Open Hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all!~ Sorry for not updating yesterday :( I hope you enjoy this short but ~very important!~ update <3

               Taehyung drifted in and out of sleep before the light of the sun forced him to blink his eyes open. He slowly rose to an upright position and was relieved when he felt no pain in his ribs. _Thanks, Won._ He slowly pulled his legs out of the bed roll and saw Wonwoo knocked out entirely in the roll next to him. He wasn’t the least bit surprised that Jungkook hadn’t slept in the same tent. Less than 24 hours ago, Taehyung had scared the living daylights of out his lab partner with his worst panic attack to date, and shortly after he had nearly caused the boy to get himself arrested. There was no longer a doubt in his mind that Jungkook cared about him; he had proven that by saving his life, but there were still too many unanswered questions to assume they were _romantically_ involved.

               Taehyung looked over at Wonwoo again. He was sleeping beautifully. Taehyung patted him softly on his fuzzy black hair. No matter how gorgeous any knight in shining armor was, Wonwoo would always be Taehyung’s guardian angel. Taehyung nearly gagged at how cheesy he was being.

               Taehyung made the decision then to give Wonwoo a ‘day off’ by not getting intimate with Jungkook today – or at least not until they set up camp that night. He pulled out a pen and a slightly crumpled piece of paper from his tornado of a bag and slipped out of the tent. Talking was too difficult at times like this so he decided to write Jungkook a note instead.

 

              

_Jungkook,_

_It’s me… I hope you understand, but I don’t want to talk about what’s happening… between us… until we set up camp tonight. We’re all clearly quite rattled from yesterday and I really want to make the day about Wonwoo. He’s the reason I can get up today, after all._

_We can talk about everything tonight before we sleep tomorrow.  
_

_See you soon,_

_Kim Taehyung_

               Taehyung scratched out the childish heart he had accidentally drawn at the end and folded the note up carefully. He slipped it into the smaller tent where Jungkook had slept, then returned to his bed roll and went back to sleep with a smile on his face.

 

 

               Everything went according to plan that morning. The trio had eaten breakfast together in their typical fashion. Taehyung had managed to summon his self-control and not flip a shit the few times Jungkook had locked eyes with him. He was determined to make Wonwoo feel appreciated. After reminiscing over the memories of their best-friend antics, they moved on, heading deeper into the mountains. The path they had been following continued past Garrow and ran through the valleys. The lab site, their unwavering destination, was located about two days into the mountainous path, although Taehyung couldn’t bring himself to expect things to go per Jungkook’s plan. When did they ever?

               As they walked through a valley with particularly thick trees, the three boys discussed the different professors they’d had so far in FCMA. Taehyung concluded that the more homework a professor gave, the more Jungkook loved them. He also observed that Wonwoo liked all his professors basically the same, but if they were hot it made them a personal favorite. This earned Taehyung a smack from Wonwoo’s fist. Jungkook and Wonwoo concluded with sass that Taehyung only loved professors if they gave him lots of extensions.

               The sun set shortly after. They traversed the now-dark path, weaving through the trees that lightly dotted the valley. Taehyung noticed that Jungkook had picked up his pace a bit. He was traveling three feet ahead of the other two. Taehyung finally felt the familiar pang of longing and sadness at their situation. He reminded himself of his promise, but it was getting hard to keep the events of last three days out of his mind. He was especially fixated on the events of the night before. According to Wonwoo, they had barely slipped out of the town unspotted, thanks to a clever distraction from Sohye. Jungkook had carried him all the way, darting silently through the trees. Wonwoo had concluded his story by stating that Jungkook was clearly a superhero. Taehyung swallowed now, staring at Jungkook’s strong back. It was becoming a familiar sight on their grueling walks.

               Suddenly, Jungkook froze.

               “Jungkook…?” Taehyung said, the tense energy between them vanishing again. He felt a sharp chill in the air.

               “I hear something.” Jungkook’s voice was icy and quiet. Fear spread throughout Taehyung’s body, bringing goosebumps to his skin. He looked at Wonwoo, who pulled Taehyung in towards him, his arm around Taehyung’s shoulders. The mood was getting to him and Taehyung battled with his darker thoughts, even at a time like this _. Why does Wonwoo treat me like this? Why does Jungkook care about me so much?_ A guilt all too familiar built up in the pit of his stomach. He wasn’t worthy of their love. He didn’t deserve any of this.

               Wonwoo broke the silence first. “Jungkook, what did you hear?”

               “Well…” Jungkook was quiet, still on the lookout. He trailed off for a moment as he scanned the gaps between the heavy trees. “I think it’s gone now.”

               Wonwoo raised an eyebrow and scoffed. “Don’t be so worried all the time, Jeon. Plus, it’s my job to be lookout, remember? You just make sure we are on the right track.” Taehyung could hear the nervousness behind Wonwoo’s joking, and to the untrained ear, it came off as quite rude.

               “Just wanted to make sure,” the youngest responded cooly. “I don’t like to leave such important jobs to others… especially ones I don’t… trust entirely.”

               Wonwoo’s mouth dropped wide, scandalized. “Excuse me, Mr. know-it-all? You think I can’t handle a job like that? You’re one to talk after nearly getting us killed last night-”

               “You were busy talking to Taehyung, so I took it into my own hands.” Jungkook was facing them directly now. His face grew red and he huffed a frosty breath from his nostrils.

               “Jungkook, what the fuck? Both of you, cut it out already.” Taehyung pleaded. “You know what I said this- wait, what’s that?” he asked, his face suddenly pale. Jungkook spun around quickly. He backed up and stood directly in front of his lab partner. Taehyung removed his flashpin and placed it onto his palm, pointing it into the small cluster of trees where his attention had been drawn.

               All three companions gasped. There was a face staring back at them.

               Jungkook pushed Taehyung back, his arm holding him firmly. “Who’s there?!” he called loudly. Taehyung looked to Wonwoo and found him surrounding Taehyung at his back. He took a breath and summoned his courage, keeping his hand steadfast at the figure. Jungkook’s call was answered by a soft hum. Taehyung’s face shifted to confusion as he listened. It was increasing in volume and he began to recognize the melody.

               “I know this song,” he whispered. “What is it from?” Neither of his companions paid his whispers much attention; Jungkook was slowly advancing towards the figure, the dark blue light of his pendant further illuminating it. He carried his blade in his left hand, his right arm still extended protectively in front of Taehyung. As Jungkook moved closer, the humming grew louder and Taehyung became incredibly unnerved. He moved his free hand to his ear, trying to block out the sound. When Jungkook took another step, the light was enough to make out the figure’s horrifying identity.

               In the forest stood a little girl, no more than ten years old. She was staring at the party with solid black eyes, void of any white at all. Her skin was a sickly pale gray covered with gory wounds. Her thin white hair was frayed badly at the ends. Taehyung smelled a scent that made him gag. The only name that came to mind for it was death.

               The humming was becoming louder now, somehow piercing into the Taehyung’s ears. His head throbbed in pain and he moved his other hand to cover his exposed ear. The light of Taehyung’s pendant now off the girl, Jungkook faltered. He stepped back quickly to Taehyung, turning around to make sure he was OK.

               “I’ll take care of him,” Wonwoo said firmly. “Deal with that… _thing_.”

               The girl suddenly moved forwards, swiftly covering the distance that Jungkook’s retreat made. Jungkook stuck his flashpin onto his chest again and reached into his bag. He pulled out a small vial, capped with a plastic top. Taehyung’s eyes were open wide as he fought with the insufferable humming, still trying desperately to remember how he knew the melody. He watched Jungkook pop the top off the vial. Jungkook’s hair moved as if a strong wind was pulling it in towards the bottle. He looked to the girl and saw her hair moving too, but much more violently – Jungkook was pointing the gadget directly at the her. She opened her mouth slowly and let out an ear-splitting wail as she shut her haunting eyes tight. Taehyung found an odd sense of release in the shriek; the humming was now drowned out by her cries. Her hair and dress, both frayed at the edges, began flapping violently in the wind, as if being sucked into a vortex.

               Jungkook grasped the vial firmly, clearly fighting hard to keep it still. Taehyung tried to move forward to help but as he did, he felt the air current pulling on him too, sucking him towards the vial with shocking force. Wonwoo grasped his shoulder and pulled him back to safety. “Don’t you dare move, Tae,” he commanded. Taehyung was surprised to hear him so clearly. His mind was distorted. The screams and humming seemed so loud, but compared to Wonwoo’s voice, they were relatively quiet. Yet they still pierced his ears. He looked at Wonwoo, whose eyes widened. “Taehyung, your ears are bleeding!” he shouted. Taehyung was suddenly aware of the sensation, warm fluid trickling down the sides of his neck. “Jungkook, finish the job already! Taehyung’s hurt!”

               Taehyung looked to Jungkook, who seemed to be strongly affected by the plea. He struggled to advance forward. Taehyung watched in horror as tiny pieces of flesh began to peel grotesquely off the demon’s face. As they fluttered through the air, they disintegrated into a glowing black dust, which the vial sucked up swiftly. The girl raised her hand directly at Taehyung and Jungkook’s eyes widened. She looked directly at the boy with her hollow eyes and spoke as her lips simultaneously disintegrated.

               “Your presence here is as time’s ancient omen,” she shrieked, her voice like nails against a chalkboard. “Come and he will consume your aura whole.” Taehyung let out a cry as the demon’s voice agonized his brain. He felt an overwhelming pressure in his ears, as if his eardrums were literally exploding. He squinted his eyes as he saw Jungkook glance back, horrified at the sight of Taehyung’s pain, and took more steps slowly towards the demon. Her evaporation sped up intensely and her cries enveloped Taehyung’s consciousness. Only blackness followed.

 

 

               Taehyung came to slowly. He felt the freezing snow beneath him and was strangely comforted. _There’s no snow in hell, Taehyung. You can’t be dead._ When he finally opened his eyes, he saw two blurry figures hovering over him. Anxiety suddenly gripped him. Did more demons find him? As his vision became clearer, he recognized the worried faces of Wonwoo and Jungkook. They’ve never looked more gorgeous to him after seeing that _thing_ , even compared to when Jungkook had fought for his life for the first time in Garrow. As he regained his vision, he saw that Wonwoo and Jungkook were both shedding tears, their faces desperate. Their mouths were moving, but no words were coming out. In fact, Taehyung didn’t hear anything at all, just a high-pitched ringing in his eardrums. _Oh crap,_ he though. _Have I gone deaf? How many times will I need saving on this trip?!_

               He watched as Wonwoo placed palm over palm, both glowing a bright turquoise, and rested them on Taehyung’s face. He closed his eyes instinctively and braced himself for the pain of healing magic. It works wonders on a broken bone but lord can that can stuff hurt. He is suddenly thankful that he was so fast asleep the night before when Wonwoo had healed his broken bones.

               He winced, feeling the pain mostly in his ears. The ringing stopped and he heard nothing for a while, trying desperately to focus on Jungkook’s warm hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see that Wonwoo was no longer in his field of vision. There was only Jungkook, staring at Taehyung with an anxious gaze. Taehyung managed to flash him a painful smile and Jungkook bawled immediately, embracing Taehyung, resting his head on his chest.

               “I thought you were dead, Taehyung,” he cried, his voice faint.

               He heard it! Taehyung managed to smile again, listening intently as his hearing returned to him. He heard Wonwoo walk over quickly.

               “Taehyung! You’re OK! Get off him, you big ape,” Wonwoo demanded. Jungkook reluctantly let go of Taehyung, allowing the injured mage to sit up.

               “I think I’m OK,” he breathed. Wonwoo said something softly but Taehyung couldn’t quite hear it. His best friend placed a hand on his shoulder.

               “I said that it may take a bit for your hearing to come back, Tae.” Taehyung could tell that he was shouting, but it still felt quiet in his ears. “For now, just try to rest. We will set up camp.”

               Taehyung nodded and began to drift off. Jungkook scooted next to him and let his head fall onto his shoulder.

 

              

               Taehyung awakened to a warm feeling around his body. He slowly opened his eyes to see Wonwoo sleeping next to him, facing away from his best friend. Taehyung frowned in disappointment. He slowly wiggled out of his bedroll, trying hard not to wake Wonwoo up. He succeeded and noticed that he could hear the morning forest around him. His eyes closed softly and he thanked the Ether for his best friend’s talents once again. As he moved out of the tent, he smelled the familiar scent of oatmeal and he couldn’t help but grimace.

               Jungkook was standing at the campfire where he stirred the pot diligently. His eyes darted immediately to Taehyung and he smiled with relief. He dropped the ladle carelessly to the ground and rushed over to him, embracing him firmly. Taehyung felt a pang down his neck, but he ignored it as he returned Jungkook’s embrace.

               “God, I thought you were dead,” Jungkook breathed. “I don’t know what I would have done.”

               “Cried probably,” Taehyung choked out, a smile on his face. Jungkook kissed Taehyung’s forehead abruptly, causing his skin to turn bright red.

               “You got that right, you jerk.”

               After the long embrace ended, Jungkook took Taehyung’s hand and lead him to the fire. He picked up the now-dirty ladle, glanced around mischievously, and wiped it onto Wonwoo’s coat, a grin on his face. Taehyung couldn’t hold back a laugh, but hit Jungkook with a disapproving fist.

               “You need to eat, Tae,” the raven said. His voice simply oozed affection. Taehyung blushed yet again and accepted the bowl of unfortunate oatmeal. He really was quite hungry and recalled how fatiguing healing magic can be. The mage’s energy drastically speeds up the body’s recovery process through increased cell reproduction, but the patient’s cells are still responsible for the repair itself. Taehyung grinned with pride.

               “Jungkook, I remembered something that I read!” he said, a silly smile on his face. Jungkook laughed hard and patted Taehyung on the head.

               “Eat up, genius.” Taehyung nodded and scoffed down the mediocre meal. Jungkook sat as close to Taehyung as possible, their bodies pushed against each other, and simply stared at him without taking a bite. As Taehyung finished his last scoop, his best friend slowly came out of the tent, his hair an absolute disaster. His eyes were sunken into his head with purple bags heavier than ever before. Taehyung stood up immediately and gave Wonwoo a huge hug.

               “Thanks, Won,” he said. Wonwoo groaned and pushed him off.

               “Too early, too tired,” he responded, hiding a smile. He looked to Jungkook. “Get me some food, Jeon.”

               “Get it yourself, Woo,” he hissed back. Wonwoo scoffed, but moved to the pot and scooped some oatmeal into a bowl. He reached for his jacket, the cold of the morning biting at him, and found his hand quite… goopy.

               “JEON JUNGKOOK?!”

Taehyung laughed hysterically as his companions chased each other, just like kids again. 

 

 

 

 

               An hour later, the three boys walked down the dirt path, the gigantic mountains enveloping their surroundings. Wonwoo was in the lead, with Jungkook and Taehyung trailing a couple of feet behind. Jungkook had decided that navigating was much easier than being lookout and had forced Wonwoo to switch positions. Wonwoo couldn’t quite argue after failing to notice the demon before it was too late the night before. Taehyung had mostly recovered from his injuries and decided to be the one to get them moving for the day. Jungkook refused to leave his side, which caused Taehyung to feel a wide range of tumultuous emotions; for some reason, the awkwardness had wormed its way right back between them. Taehyung still felt dissatisfied somehow, and he wanted now more than ever to confess how he was feeling. He hadn’t gotten a chance to talk things out with Jungkook due to the raging demon child that nearly murdered him.

               It hit Taehyung then that he still hadn’t been told what the hell that thing was. He shivered at the though. He wasn’t sure if he really wanted to know, but he supposed he really _should_. As he thought on it, he recalled the humming and he froze on the spot with a shiver. The memories banged on the flood gates and he nearly let them out when Jungkook stepped back towards him and wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

               “Taehyung, what’s wrong?” he said. Taehyung leaned into the comfort.

               “Sorry, I was just thinking about last night.” Jungkook frowned and coaxed Taehyung forward gently with his arm.

               “That was a banshee,” Jungkook said, his voice wavering. Taehyung frowned. He’d never even heard of that before. “Have you taken Intro to Magical Organisms yet?”

               Taehyung flashed him a betrayed glare. “Even if I had, you think I’d remember something like that?” Jungkook couldn’t help but grin.

               “A banshee is basically an enslaved spirit. When a witch or warlock murders a human, they sometimes choose to capture the victim’s soul within a focus object. After the soul has been tortured for long enough, it usually gives in to its master’s twisted demands.”

               Taehyung shivered. “No wonder it screamed at us so loudly.”

               “That’s the thing, Tae,” Wonwoo interjected, hesitation in his voice. “We didn’t hear anything.” Now Taehyung was _really_ confused.

               “Banshees don’t really fight, they generally just keep guard,” Jungkook explained. “That’s why I didn’t kill the thing right on the spot. They’re kind of like sentinels. It’s rare for them to communicate with strangers, although when they do, it’s usually something important. It was only screaming at you, right Taehyung?”

               Taehyung swallowed hard. The screams were awful, yes, but the humming… he shut his eyes tight just thinking about it. But then he remembered the words the banshee whispered as she died. _‘Your presence here is as time’s ancient omen. Come and he will consume your aura whole.’_ Taehyung hesitated, his head suddenly hurting. Something was keeping him back from sharing what the banshee had said. He didn’t understand it, but he felt terrified.

“Taehyung?” Jungkook’s voice pierced his thought bubble and he turned to him.

               “I didn’t just hear screaming,” Taehyung confessed, his voice shaky. “There was also… humming.”

               “Humming? What do you mean?” Wonwoo asked.

               “I think… I think it was a song that my sister used to sing to me.” Taehyung was suddenly shaking, tears clouding his vision. Wonwoo’s eyes widened and he moved back towards the two. Jungkook held Taehyung tightly with both arms as the older began to sob. “I don’t understand. I haven’t heard that song in years. I almost didn’t realize what it was.”

               “Taehyung…” Jungkook breathed, his face reflecting Taehyung’s despair.

               “Tae-ah, it’s ok,” Wonwoo assured. “That’s probably a crazy coincidence. It really sucks that you had to remember your sister at a time like that.”

               Taehyung looked up at Jungkook with round eyes, who was biting his lip with hesitation. Taehyung knew what he was thinking. “Jungkook? Is that true?”

               “Well… if I’m being honest, it doesn’t sound like a coincidence to me.” Taehyung’s face turned from sorrow to horror.

               “You don’t mean… that was-”

               “No, it’s probably not what you think,” Jungkook said quickly, still maintaining his embrace. “It’s incredibly unlikely that the banshee was your sister. Magic can work in truly crazy ways, especially when death is thrown into the mix. That being said, it’s usually not a coincidence. If you really did hear that song, your sister is probably involved in some other way, and probably a positive way if anything.”     Taehyung struggled to stay on his feet. It was too much information shared too quickly. Jungkook sensed his instability and helped him sit down on the edge of the path. Taehyung held onto the words the banshee had spoken, too afraid of being even more disturbed than he already felt.

               “We are definitely not going to travel after dark anymore,” Wonwoo muttered definitively.

 

 

               The group had decided to set up lunch again, and Wonwoo had brought back a deer from hunting, earning him an approving look from the otherwise unimpressed Jungkook. Taehyung had remained in the same spot for nearly an hour, moving between bouts of tears and a stone-like expression. Jungkook sat next to him the whole time, silent, rubbing his back carefully.

               Wonwoo was now deconstructing the deer slowly, wincing the whole time, with the help of Jungkook’s occasional naggy instructions. As per Taehyung’s request, Wonwoo had sat down behind the pair; Taehyung couldn’t bear to see something so gruesome, especially after the past two days of narrowly escaping death. When he was finished, Wonwoo began preparing the lunch by himself, glancing at Taehyung frequently, unable to calm his disappointment. Taehyung seemed to prefer Jungkook’s presence to his own ever since they had left the college. Of course, that could never change how much he cared for his best friend, so he swallowed his pride and chalked it up to Jungkook’s incredibly good looks.

               When Wonwoo finished preparing lunch, he handed Taehyung a bowl of the soup. Taehyung sat staring at the meal for a while as Jungkook and Wonwoo ate their food. Jungkook noticed Taehyung’s stillness and finished his own hurriedly. He began to feed Taehyung, who barely managed to accept the food even when it was put straight in his mouth. He felt nauseous, but he was also fairly impressed with himself in retrospect. He had been exposed to more crap in the last five days than he had dealt with in the last three years and here he was, still breathing.

               Wonwoo cleaned the bowls and began to pack up their things to continue their journey. The sun had just barely passed the center of the sky, so they still had at least a few hours before dark.

               “Hey Jeon, how much longer do you think it’ll take to reach the lab site?” Wonwoo asked

               Jungkook thought for a bit, checking on the sun’s position. “I’d guess that if we walk normally, we’ll be there well before dark.” He turned to Taehyung and spoke more gently. “Taehyung, do you think you’re OK to arrive today?”

               Taehyung thought for a moment and guilt clutched his heart as he realized that he simply couldn’t function around his peers and professor. “I… I don’t really know, Jungkook,” he said, his heart hurting. Jungkook smiled at him and rubbed his back.

               “It’s ok, Tae. We’ll walk for a few more hours and call it a night.” Taehyung looked up at Jungkook gratefully, smiling through his sadness.

 

 

               As the group reached a small clearing, they decided to call it a night. They still had at least an hour before it started getting dark, but Taehyung’s sorrow had drained on everyone’s energy reserves. Jungkook directed Wonwoo to start the fire as he set up the tents. Wonwoo returned quickly and finished the campfire in record time. He grinned to himself with pride.

               “Don’t get too proud, Wonwoo,” Jungkook chided. “I’ll beat that record some time.” Wonwoo grimaced at the blow and Taehyung let out a chuckle. He got up slowly and glanced at the tents, his eyes darting back and forth. Jungkook watched him, and looked at Wonwoo.

“We should switch…” Wonwoo said. Jungkook nodded, his head hung in a slight disappointment, and began moving toward the smaller tent.

               “No!” Taehyung yelped, immediately disgusted by how childish he sounded, but he had just spent all day with Jungkook comforting him and he was not about to spend another night alone after that. Jungkook turned around and his features perked up.

               Wonwoo sighed exasperatedly. “Fine, Tae-ah,” he groaned. “I know I can’t stop you, especially after those… near-death experiences.” Taehyung grinned a boxy smile, his face only slightly red from embarrassment. He scrambled into the bigger tent quickly. 

               Taehyung scanned the tent and saw his bedroll set up on the other side from Jungkook’s. He pouted his lips and moved to Jungkook’s bedroll, which he promptly pushed into the corner. He trudged over to his own and pulled it to the center of the tent. He straightened up and dusted his hands off, grinning proudly. Something about nearly dying (twice) had emboldened him. If he was going to stare death in the face on a weekly basis from now on, he was _not_ about to waste his time. Taehyung gave himself a pat on the back for finally starting to take charge.

               He went to his backpack, which Jungkook had also moved in. After cursing Wonwoo silently for nearly sabotaging another night of potential cuddling, he pulled out his change of clothes. As he took off his clothes, he started to hum to himself. Somehow, just knowing he’d be sleeping next to Jungkook made him feel much better. As he hummed, he began to dance, hearing the beat loudly in his head. Taehyung needed desperately to blow off steam. He flailed his limbs randomly, his smile turning into a grin as he went. Taehyung had always had a weird habit of dancing when he got stressed and he hadn’t had the chance to let it out in quite a while. His humming got even louder and his dancing even more ridiculous, shaking his butt and grinning to himself at how goofy he was being. He lost himself entirely in the moment.

               He froze when he heard Jungkook’s voice whispering “holy shit” from behind him. He spun around to see Jungkook staring at him, his face bright red, eyes wide open. Taehyung slowly looked down at himself, suddenly conscious of his body, which was only covered by his underwear. _Great,_ he thought to himself. _The one day I decide to wear my snowflake boxers._ Taehyung looked back up and stared awkwardly for a painful moment. He swooped down quickly to grab the nearest pajamas, which happened to be Jungkook’s, but he was oblivious and he swiftly pulled them over his body. He grinned, letting out an awkward laugh, and jumped into the bedroll. Only then did he notice that he hijacked his companion’s clothing, but it was far too late to fix that.

               Jungkook grinned back at him. Taehyung could see that he found the whole scene adorable, but was still mortified. “You’re a real dancer, huh?” Jungkook teased. Taehyung smacked himself on the head. He pulled the covers over his face and heard Jungkook laugh. After a few moments of self-deprecating internal scolding, Taehyung poked his head back out the covers and whined silently with disappointment. Jungkook had gotten dressed quickly, leaving Taehyung without even a glimpse. It felt pretty unfair considering Jungkook had just seen him with only his boxers. His black fuzzy pajamas did look pretty adorable on him though, and Taehyung reminded himself to be thankful for the small things.

               He looked up at Jungkook intently and climbed out to sit cross-legged on the bedroll. Jungkook raised an eyebrow and looked to the corner of the room where his bedroll had been carelessly shoved. He turned back to Taehyung, who was still watching patiently.

               “Hey, Tae, it’s really cold tonight,” he said slowly, reading Taehyung’s expression as he spoke. Taehyung’s face lit up.

               “I agree,” Taehyung announced, still sitting with his hands in his lap, although his leg shook anxiously. Jungkook moved slowly over to Taehyung, who inched backwards, surprised at the other’s silent movement. Jungkook sat on the bedroll facing Taehyung directly. Their eyes locked, bodies facing each other, trying to glean meaning from the fine lines on each other’s faces.

               “Taehyung,” he said, keeping a safe distance. “We never really talked about the past few days, did we?”

               Taehyung took a deep breath and smiled. “I don’t think so,” he responded. There was silence for a moment, and just as Jungkook opened his mouth, Taehyung interjected. “I wanted to say sorry.” Jungkook’s eyebrows raised slightly, giving him the OK to continue. “I want you to know that I don’t think you would hurt me, especially after what you’ve done for me the last few days. I just… it brought up some stuff from my past. I don’t really know you very well, and…”

                “I know, Taehyung,” Jungkook interrupted. “Wonwoo told me a little bit, so I hope you don’t get mad at him for that. I had no idea that stuff happened to you. It made me mad… that someone as amazing as you had to deal with so much horrible crap. I’m the one who’s sorry. You’re right, you don’t know me very well, and I was invading your space without being careful. You had no reason to trust me-”

               “No, you interrupted me,” Taehyung said, perhaps the most firmly he’d spoken to Jungkook since their trip began. The raven was taken aback, but he nodded, listening well. “I don’t know you very well, but I _do_ trust you. I’ve told you things I’ve never told anyone else. Maybe it’s because you’re so smart, or because…” Taehyung momently trailed off, staring into Jungkook’s hypnotizing eyes. “I don’t know. But I do trust you.”

               Jungkook smiled gently. “I appreciate that, but this is still hard for me,” he explained. “I… seeing you and Wonwoo… the way you trust each other, how you know what the other is thinking without even saying anything. It makes me feel… jealous, almost. I don’t really have anyone I know like that.”

               Taehyung was visibly upset. “You’ve really never had a best friend then?”

               Jungkook cringed at the bluntness of his question. “Yeah, not really.”

               Taehyung was suddenly on the verge of tears, and he moved swiftly towards Jungkook, embracing him around the shoulders. Jungkook was startled, but he returned the hug. He wrapped his arms around Taehyung’s waist. His grasp was hesitant yet somehow full of relief.

               “Kookie… why not?” Taehyung whispered. He felt Jungkook’s heart flutter at the use of the nickname (which he was very proud of coming up with). “You’re such a kind person, that’s not fair.”

               Jungkook shrugged and deepened the hug, squeezing Taehyung closer to his chest. “I always told myself it’s because I’m too busy or because the people around me weren’t good enough. I guess that makes me a real asshole though.”

               Taehyung released Jungkook and suddenly felt the absence of his warmth. He looked at the raven directly in his eyes, trying hard to reach his soul. “It’s not because you’re an asshole, Kookie,” Taehyung said, seeing Jungkook’s skin flush pink again. “You did that because you were scared, right?”

               Suddenly, Jungkook pulled away, his eyes darting to the tent wall. Taehyung brought him back by resting his hand on Jungkook’s knee. His eyes were red, just beginning to water, and he bit the inside of his cheek. Taehyung squeezed his thigh and Jungkook blinked at him, a tear finally streaming down his face. Taehyung wiped it from his face this time with a soft smile. “I… Wow, I didn’t realize this was in me,” Jungkook rambled. “I really thought I was a cold, heartless bastard.”

               “You’re not, Jungkook. I told you you’re not an asshole. You’re a good person. Everyone fears something. I know I have lots of fears, too many to count. You’ve seen plenty of that. Hell, you’ve even brought some of those fears back to me yourself.”

               Jungkook gulped, guilt heavy in his throat. “Yeah, but…”

               Taehyung didn’t wait for him to finish. He hugged Jungkook again. The raven suddenly pulled him in closer this time so he was resting on his lap. Their bodies were pressed entirely against each other, warmth traveling between the fibers of their clothing. Neither of them dared to move until Jungkook wiped his tears on Taehyung’s shirt, at which Taehyung giggled quietly. He moved one hand from Jungkook’s broad shoulders up to his hair, which he gently caressed, massaging his scalp. Jungkook’s light tears stopped flowing at the relaxing sensation. Taehyung rested his chin firmly on Jungkook’s shoulder and rubbed his back with his other hand, humming softly. There was a lot more to talk about from the last few days but Taehyung was quite satisfied with how much Jungkook had finally opened up to him. Taehyung was beginning to see that Jungkook could rely on him too, and it felt incredibly satisfying. Perhaps he wouldn’t be the group’s dead weight after all. He moved his head off Jungkook’s shoulder and straightened his posture a bit so his face rested just in front of Jungkook’s. The younger looked deeply into Taehyung’s eyes, his heart racing, and opened his mouth slightly to speak.

               “Taehyung?” Taehyung nodded, daring to move his face ever so slightly closer to Jungkook’s. “Can I ask you something?” He nodded again, feeling Jungkook’s breath against his chin. “Why did you want me to stay with you tonight?”

               Taehyung looked up, thinking about how to best answer the question. “I was lonely, you know that…”

               “And…?”

               “And… I think you’re…”

               “I’m what? Please tell me?” Jungkook’s eyes were wide and his face full of longing.

               “I… I don’t know how to say it, but I…” Both boys were suddenly breathing hard, the moment sweeping them in. Taehyung blushed, unsure of how to proceed.

               “Do you want to… be with me, Taehyung?” Jungkook’s voice was shaky but his expression was full of resolve. Taehyung felt shivers down his spine and his heart pounded in his chest harder than ever before.

               After a slim moment of tempting doubt, he inhaled sharply and answered. “Yes.”

               Taehyung felt Jungkook’s grip tighten immediately around his back. An involuntary breath escaped him at the sudden pressure and Jungkook looked up at him, grinning now. Taehyung’s eyes widened as Jungkook moved his face even closer to his own, their lips so close he could nearly feel the soft skin.

               “TaeTae, is this all right?” the raven whispered, almost inaudible. Taehyung nodded his head up and down quickly, and Jungkook flashed him his deadly smile once again. Taehyung moved his hand to the back of Jungkook’s head, running his fingers through his hair. He shut his eyes and waited. He felt soft skin press against his lips and everything vanished – the cacophony of the forest, the lingering tension between them, the fear in his heart. Jungkook stayed there at his lips for a short moment and then moved out to look into Taehyung’s eyes. He stared right back at him and in that moment he saw more of Jungkook than he ever had before. His deep stare, full of longing and affection, was more proof than he needed. His eyes fluttered shut as Jungkook pulled him in once more and kissed him, longer this time. He let his lips brush softly against Taehyung’s and the older sighed gently. Taehyung moved his hand down Jungkook’s neck and onto the side of his face. Jungkook did the same, leaving one hand at Taehyung’s lower back, and cradled his cheek gingerly.

               The kiss was pure and chaste but there was still a longing behind it. He could feel it in Jungkook’s gaze and in the way his strong hand clutched at his lower back. Taehyung hadn’t known what to expect from his first kiss. There weren’t fireworks or explosions, but there was a crackle of energy pulsing between them. Taehyung felt it in every movement of Jungkook’s lips, and he felt it even more when Jungkook slowly parted his lips against Taehyung’s and ran his tongue along Taehyung’s bottom lip. The sensation was surprising but so good and Taehyung nearly moaned. Jungkook moved his tongue back into his own mouth, inviting Taehyung to reciprocate. The older moved his tongue quickly, almost by reflex, to meet Jungkook’s in the middle. They felt each other softly there for a while. Taehyung pulled back to breath in deeply, having forgotten his need for oxygen, but Jungkook immediately pulled him back in and continued the kiss, deepening it, moving his tongue further between Taehyung’s soft lips. Taehyung moaned audibly this time and relaxed to let Jungkook delicately explore his mouth.

               “Ether, you’re so cute,” Jungkook breathed as he pulled back for another breath.

               “What’s that supposed to mean?” Taehyung responded in faux defensiveness. He was well aware of how brightly pink his face was shining.

               “You’re just adorable, TaeTae.” Taehyung felt something akin to a heart palpitation and shoved Jungkook with his fist, causing the younger mage to chuckle. Taehyung’s eyes were heavy with a sudden tiredness but his lips were screaming at him, as if telling him to kiss Jungkook again already. He stared into Jungkook’s eyes and decided he could kiss the boy all night.

                After what felt like an eternity of staring silently into each other’s eyes and pressing soft kisses to each other’s faces, Jungkook finally spoke.

               “Taehyung, you seem tired,” he said. Taehyung shook his head profusely but his eyes betrayed him, closing halfway at the soothing sound of Jungkook’s voice. The raven shifted Taehyung around so he sat with his back against Jungkook’s torso and Taehyung leaned backwards into his strong body. Jungkook brought Taehyung’s head to rest on his chest. He played with Taehyung’s hair with one hand and wrapped the other arm around him, drawing meaningless patterns on his stomach through his shirt. Taehyung craned his neck to sneak a peek at the raven’s gaze and found Jungkook staring blatantly at him, bringing a blush to Taehyung’s cheeks. He craned further and Jungkook met his lips with another gentle kiss.He really couldn't imagine ever getting bored of that feeling.

               “I guess I’m a little tired,” he admitted when he pulled away. Taehyung let his eyes flutter shut and felt the side of Jungkook’s face rest against his head. A few moments later, he spoke again. “Should we lie down or something?” He felt Jungkook shake his head in protest. “But you’ll be sore tomorrow if you sleep hunching over like that, Kookie.”

               “Don’t care,” Jungkook muttered. Taehyung’s lips curled into a tired smile as he drifted into sleep.

             

               Taehyung fell in and out of sleep multiple times, but unlike typical nights, his restlessness was anything but frustrating – on this night, he woke up every time to Jungkook’s arms wrapped protectively around him and to his adorable light snores lulling him back to sleep. Taehyung craned his neck as slowly as possible to find Jungkook’s head hanging tilted to the side in a very uncomfortable manner. He immediately felt a pang of guilt, so he wormed his way out of Jungkook’s arms and lay him down on the bedroll. He sat there on his knees for a moment, staring at Jungkook’s peaceful sleep. His long black lashes, his perfectly adorable nose, and his mouth hanging slightly open as his breath cycled. Taehyung grinned and his heart fluttered in his chest. He delicately placed a kiss on the tip of Jungkook’s nose and slipped out of the tent.

               Taehyung glanced at the campsite around. The sound of the forest enveloped everything. He smiled and climbed up a tree nearby, perching on a particularly high branch, and gazed at the moons and stars. He lost himself in his thoughts, mostly surrounding his incredible crush at first, but as he relaxed his mind wandered more.

               _“That’s why there are so many stars, Tae-ah.” His sister spoke in a choked half-whisper, suppressing a cough with every syllable. He squeezed her hand in his and stared and gazed out the window at the dark night sky. “They make shapes, you know. They’re called constellations.”_

_“What does that mean?” Taehyung asked gently. He already knew but he didn’t want his sister to stop talking. Conversation was the only thing that could keep her awake at this point, and he couldn’t stand to see her sleep through another whole day. He never knew if it would be her last time to drift off._

_His sister giggled gently, causing her to release a thick, throaty cough into her free hand. Taehyung shut his eyes tight until the sound was gone. “You’re so young, Tae-ah,” she whispered. “Constellations are the shapes the stars have made for us. They show us a story.”_

_“You’re young, too,” Taehyung said with a sad frown, now turned towards her fragile face. He was still unable to meet her eyes directly, so he focused on the frail hand that rested in his own, veiny, and pale. His sister chuckled again and Taehyung sighed with relief when it didn’t bring on another coughing fit. She shut her eyes slowly._

_“Age is but a number,” she breathed. “I’m going to take a rest now.” Taehyung tried with no avail to swallow the lump in his throat._

_“When should I wake you up?” he asked, failing to hide the panic in his voice._

_“Later.”_

               Taehyung smiled sadly at the night sky. Hot tears poked at the back of his eyes and he swallowed hard. “Are you awake?” he whispered, voice quivering. “I thought you’d want to know that I heard it - your message, I mean.” He watched as the stars glittered on their pitch-black canvas. “You never told me which constellation is your favorite.”

               “Capricorn.”

               Taehyung spun his head down and back. Jungkook stood on the ground below him, hands in his pockets, staring at the sky. He smiled at Taehyung and climbed up the tree with ease to sit down next to him, keeping a small space between them.

               “Wha- why?” Taehyung managed. Jungkook looked breathtaking in the sky’s gentle glow. His deep brown eyes reflected the light of the stars and Taehyung wanted nothing more than to find every single star in his gaze. Jungkook only shrugged in response, still staring at the view. “That’s my sign,” Taehyung breathed. He finally tore his gaze away and found Capricorn in the sky.

               “Makes sense,” Jungkook mumbled. He didn’t have time to question it before the raven spoke again. “Were you talking to your sister?”

               Taehyung gulped and fiddled with his fingers. “Yeah,” he responded, eyes downcast. Jungkook nodded beside him and held out a hand, which Taehyung immediately took in his. He turned to Jungkook, now looking at Taehyung’s face.

               “You’ll have to tell me what she was like,” he whispered.

               “She was so kind,” Taehyung began. “She was three years older than me, so I always looked up to her. She would stand up for me in school when other kids picked on me for being so small. I…” Taehyung trailed off, voice choking as tears fled his eyes like a bird freed from its cage. Jungkook turned to him completely, balancing easily on the thick branch, and took his other hand. Taehyung shifted clumsily to mirror his position. “She used to tell me stories. It was the only way to keep her awake. If I tried to tell her one, she’d just fall asleep.” He choked out a giggle and Jungkook laughed in return.

               “Sounds like you were pretty boring,” he teased with a warm smile. Taehyung pouted for a second, but then nodded his head.

               “I couldn’t really bring myself to treat her normally when she was sick. I was too afraid of how much suffering she was going through. It’s… it’s always been my biggest regret…” He stumbled on his words and choked out a sob. Jungkook scooted closer and turned their bodies back towards the night sky, wrapping his arms around the older boy, and placed delicate kisses all over his head. Taehyung melted into the touch. He sobbed freely with the occasional choked sharing of memories: how he and his sister always got ice cream together, the stories that she would tell him… eventually, he let his eyes shut and settled down to the sound of Jungkook’s breathing.

               “I wish I could have met her,” the raven whispered. Taehyung nodded.

               “She wouldn’t have liked you.”

               “Oh yeah, why not?”

               “You’re too boring.” Jungkook let out a playful scoff and rubbed Taehyung’s scalp with his fingertips.

               “You mean I’m not good enough for her precious little brother?”

               “Nobody would have been.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed!! It's my birthday today so as a present you should leave a comment telling me what you think of the story so far. It would make my day (even if you hate it, let me know!)   
> Much love <3


	5. Touch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends! Sorry this update is coming in so late; I spent a lot of time writing more of the story, so I only got to editing today. Anyway, this chapter marks the beginning of a *lot* of smuttiness, so I hope you enjoy that!! If not, idk what to tell you, cuz here it is in all its smutty glory ;)
> 
> As always, please let me know what you thought in the comments! It means a lot to me <3

               Taehyung propped himself up on his elbow and rested his chin in his palm. He stared at the gorgeous boy who lay next to him. Jungkook had one arm wrapped around Taehyung’s waist and the other lingered by his own face, where Taehyung’s head had just been resting. Jungkook’s features glowed in the first rays of dawn. Taehyung was entirely enthralled in Jungkook’s effortless beauty. He caught his breathe after holding it for far too long and brought a hand to brush a few dark locks from the raven’s peaceful eyes. Memories of the previous night replayed over and over in his head: Jungkook’s arm wrapped around his shoulder, securing him on the cold tree branch, waiting patiently as Taehyung soaked his shoulder with salty tears. 

               “You know, for someone who’s never had a friend before, you sure are good at it,” Taehyung whispered. He could have sworn he saw the flash of a smile on Jungkook’s sleeping lips but it was gone in an instant when the raven continued to breathe rhythmically. Taehyung hadn’t expected his crush to snore, but he loved the sound of it. It reminded him that the boy was there with him. He imagined recording the sound and replaying it when he tried to fall asleep alone, but then he shook the creepy thought from his head.

               Taehyung brought the back of his hand to Jungkook’s cheek and caressed the soft skin. He wanted nothing more than to plant kisses everywhere on his sleeping face but he was too afraid of disturbing his rest. “Sometimes I wonder if you’re even real,” he breathed. “How did the Ether make a face this perfect?” This time Taehyung _really_ swore he heard Junkook’s breath hitch. A boxy smile emerged on Taehyung’s face, his eyebrows angled downwards mischievously. He ghosted the back of his hand down Jungkook’s face. When it reached the raven’s jaw, he switched to light fingertips, and he brushed them against Jungkook’s chin and curled upwards towards his lips. Carefully, being sure to look for any sign of discomfort in the beauty’s face, he brushed his fingers against Jungkook's lips and let out a hum from behind his grin. “Nobody else gets to touch Kookie’s lips from now on,” he muttered. Jungkook’s breath hitched again, accompanied by a twitching in his shut right eye. Taehyung fought back an evil giggle and applied a bit more pressure to Jungkook’s bottom lip with his thumb. He leaned in close, making sure to breathe loudly enough for the ‘sleeping’ raven to hear. He mustered up as much disgusting cuteness as he could, his voice horrendously adorable, yet still a hushed whisper. “And in return, Kookie gets to do whatever he wants with _my_ lips.”

               Jungkook’s eyes flew open. Taehyung felt a force on his shoulders and gasped. He blinked in surprise and, in a flash, was laying on his back. Jungkook stared into his eyes, his strong hands pinning down Taehyung’s wrists on either side of his orange head of hair.

               Perhaps Jungkook really _did_ lose control in the morning.

               Jungkook’s eyes were wide, but his eyebrows were furrowed downwards. His lips were curled into an almost evil smile. The raven’s eyes glistened in the soft light.

               “I knew you weren’t asleep-!” Taehyung was cut short as Jungkook practically smashed his lips against the older’s. Taehyung heard him let out a groan and the older mage could only giggle into the desperate kiss.

               “You’re pretty cheeky, you know.” Jungkook’s morning voice was deep and raspy and Taehyung felt a hot feeling in his gut. “You can’t just talk to me like that before I’ve even woken up, TaeTae.” Jungkook’s grip firmed around his wrists and Taehyung was losing it fast.

               “You were pretending to be asleep, I had to get you back for it,” Taehyung responded with wide eyes and a pouting mouth. He watched Jungkook’s gaze trail to his lips and the raven let out a grunt, biting his own lip harshly.

               “Tae...” Jungkook moved Taehyung’s wrists and pinned them both above his orange hair with one hand. He moved the other to ghost over the older’s pouting lips, and then promptly applied a surprising pressure onto them. “Did you mean it?” he breathed. Taehyung stared at Jungkook. His heart was slamming into his rib cage and the pulse throbbed everywhere in his head. He felt it in his crotch, too, and he gulped. From the sexy look on his face, Jungkook was also thoroughly engrossed in the moment. He could see just the slightest bit of concern from the way his eyebrows were furrowed and Taehyung understood why; Jungkook was being a bit more aggressive than he had expected, but Taehyung wasn’t feeling uncomfortable at all.

               He liked it.

               Taehyung nodded his head profusely, eyes still wide, and parted his lips ever so slightly. Jungkook’s gaze widened and his thumb slipped between the older’s lips and into the warm, damp space between them. Taehyung wrapped his mouth around the raven’s thumb and smiled, sucking on the finger lightly, and then released it.

               “Fuck, Tae, _fuck._ ” He stayed frozen above the older, eyes gaping wide.

               The older mage giggled and licked at his lips. “What’s wrong, Kookie?” he spoke. Taehyung cocked his head to the side with a pout again. Jungkook practically shook. “What are you going to do..” Taehyung gave his lower lip a final lick - "...with these?" The raven’s breath hitched and he let out a desperate whine.

               “I… I don’t…” Jungkook stammered. His gaze darted between Taehyung’s eyes and mouth. Taehyung let out a chuckle.

               “You like holding me down like this?” Taehyung smirked. Jungkook’s eyes widened and he glanced at his hand, which he promptly pulled back. He rubbed his wrist with a shocked expression.

               “Crap, I’m sorry, Tae,” he breathed, gaze heavy with regret. Taehyung rushed to fix the mood.

               “No, it’s fine, really! I kind of… liked it,” he admitted with a blush. Jungkook’s head edged backwards in surprise, but then he smiled.

               “Kinky,” he breathed. Taehyung hit Jungkook’s shoulder and finally wrapped his arms around the mage's to pull him closer. Their lips collided again and it didn’t take long for Jungkook’s warm tongue to slip between the older’s lips. Taehyung saw stars as Jungkook’s tongue ravaged his mouth and he let out a whimper. The raven pulled back after a while to pant, staring at Taehyung with adoring eyes. “You’re insanely cute,” he croaked. Taehyung’s face flushed warm and he dropped his gaze. “Stop that!” Jungkook practically yelled. Taehyung stared back up at him in surprise. “Sorry, just... don’t look away like that,” he whispered. “It feels… bad when you look away.” Taehyung smiled a boxy grin and pulled Jungkook’s lips towards his own again.

               After nearly ten minutes of teeth clashing and tongues meeting, Jungkook pulled away. He sat on Taehyung’s lap with a smirk. The older mage stared up at Jungkook. His lips were red and swollen and his black hair was in a total disarray from Taehyung’s grabbing fingers. Taehyung let out a whine but Jungkook only placed a finger over his lips.

               “If we keep going, something _bad_ is going to happen,” he murmured with a wink. Taehyung’s heart pounded harder.

               “I want that.”

               “Tae-”

               “What? Do _you_ not want that?” Taehyung’s voice came out with far more insecurity than he had intended. Jungkook’s face looked shocked.

               “Ether, Taehyung, I want it _so_ badly! I want it so bad I can’t control myself…” he gulped and brushed Taehyung’s swollen lips with his fingers once again.

               “Then don’t,” Taehyung replied with finality. He didn’t know what Jungkook had in mind; all he knew was that he wanted it desperately, whatever it was. Jungkook faltered and Taehyung inhaled sharply, closing his eyes. When he opened them, he twisted his face into the best seducing face he could muster. He resisted the urge to cringe at himself. “Kookie, you’re not going to make me wait, are you?”

               Jungkook swallowed hard. He let out an exacerbated sigh and cupped Taehyung’s face with his hands. “TaeTae, it’s early, and… I don’t want to push you too fast.” Taehyung felt his heart sink. The poisonous thought crossed his mind that perhaps Jungkook wasn’t that attracted to him after all. He glanced at the ground to avoid Jungkook’s worried gaze. The raven placed a kiss on Taehyung’s forehead and stood silently. “You OK?” he asked. Taehyung forced a smile and nodded. Jungkook was reluctant but he nodded and slipped out of the tent. “I’m going to make you breakfast,” he called from the fireplace.

               Taehyung clutched at his crotch with an embarrassed frown. His dick was throbbing and his crotch was slightly damp. He really had gotten worked up – apparently more than Jungkook had. His frown deepened. As stupid as it was, he felt pathetic. He heard Jungkook rummaging around outside as he made the oatmeal and Taehyung glanced back at his crotch. His frown lightened as he realized he was still in Jungkook’s pajamas. The thought was quite comforting - and somehow exciting. He gripped at the fabric around his dick and let out a sharp breath. He was horny and it had been a while…

               Perhaps he had enough time before Jungkook came back.

               He blocked out the voice in his head that screamed at him to do anything but dirty Jungkook’s pajamas any more than his precum already had. He could still feel Jungkook’s lips brushing on his own. He could see the way Jungkook stared at him with such an intense lust it made his knees go weak. He stroked his cock slowly as he imagined what Jungkook would do to him. He shivered as the possibilities flashed through his head and he felt himself shamefully close to his climax already. He imagined Jungkook stepping into the tent and throwing himself onto Taehyung, ripping at his clothes and gnawing at his skin. He heard a gasp and opened his eyes to see – Jungkook.

               The raven was standing with a bowl of oatmeal in either hand, one foot in the tent and the other still outside. His handsome jaw hung open, eyebrows so high Taehyung feared they’d fly off his head. Taehyung swallowed hard and looked down at his crotch, then back up at Jungkook. He breathed in sharply and pried his hand from his dick and threw his arms in the air. “I, uh… ack!”

               Jungkook dropped the bowls to the floor. The sound seemed to jolt him back to reality and he finally closed his mouth to swallow dryly. “You… what…?”

               “I’m sorry!” Taehyung scrambled frantically for the covers and he stumbled over his own words. “That was stupid of me!” He glanced up and Jungkook was still staring at him, moving closer very slowly, his bottom lip between his teeth. _Oh Ether…_

               Jungkook knelt by Taehyung and gazed into his eyes. “I changed my mind,” he breathed. He glanced at Taehyung’s crotch and back up. Taehyung gulped and struggled to find words.

               “I’m sorry I’m making a mess in your pajamas-”

               “Shut up,” Jungkook gasped, immediately showing regret at his harsh tone. “Sorry. I mean, no – don’t say shit like that.” He leaned in closer with prying eyes. He motioned his head towards Taehyung’s crotch. “I think it’s hot.” Taehyung was entirely disoriented, his mind an utter mess of desperation and terror.

               “You told me that-”

               “Changed my mind, I told you,” Jungkook choked out. He moved his hands to grasp firmly at Taehyung’s hips. “Do you- want me to do it f-for you?” he stammered. Taehyung’s head was nodding dumbly before he had a chance to process what Jungkook had said. Before he could blink, Jungkook was on top of him, kissing at his lips with urgency, and his wet kisses traveled down Taehyung’s chin and onto his neck. He felt Jungkook sucking softly at his throat and groaning in his arms. “Do you like that?” Jungkook asked. Taehyung nodded stupidly again. He threw his head back with a gasp when Jungkook nipped at the skin on his neck. Jungkook hummed knowingly and proceeded, planting mark after mark on Taehyung’s neck, sucking and licking at his soft skin. Taehyung was a whimpering mess in his arms and he felt his mind abandon him entirely. 

               “Jungkook, I- _please_ ,” he whimpered. Jungkook pulled up and shook his head.

               “Patience,” he teased with a gleeful smirk and a wagging finger. He slipped his hand up Taehyung’s shirt and felt at his lean stomach. Taehyung shivered at the sudden touch. “You’re so adorable,” he whispered. Taehyung gasped as Jungkook grazed his nipple for a split second and his eyes shot open in sudden discomfort.

               “Not there,” Taehyung winced. Jungkook only nodded apologetically and removed his hands from under Taehyung’s shirt. He returned to sucking at Taehyung’s neck and moved further towards his collar bone, where he licked in the light dip between the bone and his shoulder. Taehyung whined again and grabbed at Jungkook, in need of something to touch. He found Jungkook’s strong chest and grasped at it, then traveled his hands downwards along Jungkook’s thin shirt. The younger let out a chuckle and moved his mouth to meet Taehyung’s, kissing him deeply. He pulled away to whisper into his ear.

               “Ether, the things I want to do to you,” he groaned.

               Taehyung, suddenly emboldened by the flaming sensation in his gut, slipped his hands under Jungkook’s shirt. He gasped when he felt Jungkook’s defined muscles, running his fingers along the grooves of his abdomen. Jungkook grinned and flashed Taehyung another wink, causing the boy to swoon. Jungkook moved his hands abruptly to the waistband of the pajama pants around Taehyung’s hips. He curled his fingers underneath them and tugged gently on the fabric. When Taehyung stared at him in surprise he spoke. “They’re my pajamas, after all,” Jungkook winked.

               “Do you want them back, then?” Taehyung replied wittily. Jungkook grabbed Taehyung’s waist to flip him onto the sleeping roll. Taehyung was surprised but quite turned on by the sudden change, and he frowned at Jungkook. “Get them off, Kookie,” he demanded with a pout. Jungkook smiled and in a flash his hands were at Taehyung’s hips, pulling the pants off to reveal his underwear. Taehyung suddenly found himself embarrassed, remembering his goofy snowflake boxers, but more so for his obvious state of arousal, which did not go unnoticed. Jungkook flashed him a grin and leaned close to Taehyung’s ear.

               “If you don’t like those, we can take them off, too, you know,” he whispered. Taehyung let out a hiss. Jungkook gave him a glance for permission, but Taehyung shook his head.

               “Not… not now. Take your pants off,” Taehyung demanded. Jungkook moved to straddle Taehyung, causing him to gasp with wide eyes. He first sat directly on Taehyung’s pelvis, brushing against his crotch. Jungkook chuckled at Taehyung’s obvious wince. He lifted his pelvis and pulled his pants off, revealing loose underwear, and Taehyung gaped at the sight. Jungkook’s boxers were damp where his arousal pushed at the fabric. The outline of Jungkook’s dick was so close, yet it seemed so far.

               “It’s too hot right now, TaeTae,” Jungkook complained as he straddled Taehyung’s hips, shifting slightly to bring the subtlest of sensations to Taehyung’s crotch. He pulled his shirt off, displaying his gorgeous body for Taehyung to gawk at - and gawk he did. Taehyung immediately brought his hands up to grab at Jungkook’s torso, running his fingers slowly along his muscles, feeling the details of his skin. Jungkook grinned and moved his head down to kiss Taehyung. The older returned the kiss greedily and pushed Jungkook up, moving his hands instinctively to his own shirt. He began to pull it off, but then hesitated.

               “I, um…” he stammered, suddenly quiet. “I’m not as strong as you are, Kookie.” Taehyung looked away from the other, suddenly shy.

               Jungkook brought his hands to Taehyung’s face and tilted the younger’s head to meet his gaze. He squeezed Taehyung’s cheeks and moved closer. “You’re way too hot the way you are, TaeTae. It’d kill me if your body were any sexier.” Taehyung’s eyes widened and his face turned beat red. He didn’t understand why Jungkook was lusting after him so much, but he wasn’t about to turn him down out of confusion.

               Taehyung pulled off his shirt completely and Jungkook had his turn to stare. He ran his fingers along the soft, delicate skin of Taehyung’s stomach, bringing tingles with his touch. He moved upwards, grazing quickly over Taehyung’s nipples, causing the older to moan again, until he reached Taehyung’s collar bone. He ran his fingers along his collar bone and caressed his neck. Taehyung could see how attracted Jungkook was to him and a wave of blood rushed straight to his crotch.

               Jungkook bent down slowly, hunching his strong back, and brought his mouth to meet Taehyung’s lips. He shifted his hips down to Taehyung’s thighs, allowing him to flatten his stomach against the older’s. As their bare torsos touched, they crackled with heat. Taehyung was suddenly conscious of how close they were, how connected to Jungkook he felt. His world was a disoriented mess, but he needed more, badly. He grabbed at Jungkook’s naked back, running his nails along the skin. Jungkook moaned and stared into the older’s eyes.

               “You’re fucking gorgeous,” the raven breathed. Taehyung felt a pang of something in his brain – worry, fear, guilt. _Why now, of all times…_ he glanced down at his own body. It looked scrawny and pale beneath Jungkook’s perfect torso.

               “Kookie?” Taehyung said softly.

               “TaeTae…?” Jungkook’s eyes were worried now.

               “I don’t get it. I’m not smart like you, and I’m not nearly as hot. You could have anyone you wanted. I mean, why not somebody like Wonwoo if you’re into guys? He’s way hotter than-”

               “Stop, Taehyung,” he said, his voice firm. “I’ve already told you how hot I think you are. When I look in your eyes, it makes me feel something. And when you look at me in those adorable ways… I can barely control myself.” His grip tightened around Taehyung’s body, earning him a giggle from the older boy.

               “Really...?” Taehyung began, giving Jungkook’s lips another sweet kiss. “Keep talking.”

               Jungkook pushed himself back so he sat on his knees between Taehyung’s thighs. “God, Tae, it’s actually insane how attracted I am to you. You know that, I’ve shown you. You make me want to…” he trailed off and grabbed Taehyung’s lean thighs. Taehyung felt his heart racing and he pushed his pelvis forward slightly. Jungkook hesitated.

               “What do I make you want to do, Kookie?” Taehyung coaxed, his desire an unyielding flame.

               “I don’t think you want to know,” Jungkook breathed with a warning tone.

               “Please, tell me?”

               Jungkook let out a pained huff. “I promise I’ll show you sometime soon,” Jungkook muttered in the sexiest voice Taehyung had ever heard. “For now… let me help you with this…” Jungkook’s hands drifted upwards towards Taehyung crotch and the older shut his eyes tight. He opened them when Jungkook’s hands lingered on his boxers for a bit too long, only centimeters from his throbbing dick. The younger was looking at him with raised eyebrows to ask for permission. Taehyung shut his eyes again and nodded. He felt Jungkook’s hand move slowly to wrap around his dick through the boxers. Taehyung shuddered. Jungkook began to move his hand slowly as he let out deep breathes of his own. Taehyung felt Jungkook shift and press his lips against the older’s.

               “Kookie-” Taehyung breathed. “F-faster…” Jungkook kissed him harder and increased the pace. Taehyung moaned into Jungkook’s mouth as he felt the raven’s tongue push towards his throat. Jungkook’s grip was firm on Taehyung’s cock through his boxers and it was so warm, so _hot_. The friction brought blissful waves behind his eyelids and he felt the tension in his stomach build to an unbearable level. “I’m going- going to…” Jungkook pulled away from Taehyung’s mouth and stared at him, his pace unrelenting. Taehyung felt his climax drift further from him due to his embarrassment at Jungkook's observant gaze. He searched desperately for something to bring him closer. “Talk,” he gasped. Jungkook cocked his head and Taehyung looked at him with pleading eyes. “I want you to talk…”

               Jungkook’s eyes smiled knowingly. “So, you like dirty talk, huh?” he winked. Taehyung felt frustration or embarrassment or some combination course through his veins. Here he was, a total wreck, on the verge of orgasm, and Jeon Jungkook had the nerve to crack jokes.

               “Fucking hell, Kookie, please,” he begged.

               “All right, all right,” Jungkook conceded with a giggle. “What should I call you?”

               “I don’t- I don’t know, come up with some-something!” Jungkook’s hand slowed as he pondered it and Taehyung growled at him. “ _Kookie!_ ”

               “All right, _baby_ ,” Jungkook grinned. His pace was slow and steady and Taehyung gasped, desperate for the speed to pick up again. “Do you have any idea how good you look right now?” Taehyung whimpered as the words grazed his eardrums, sending tingles down his exposed torso. “You’re so hot when you’re like this,” Jungkook hissed.

               “M-more,” Taehyung gasped.

               “You want dirtier?”

               “Yes!” Taehyung snapped before he could even consider the question.

               “Ether, you’re hot… fine, baby, I'll talk dirty. You wanna know what I want to do right now?” Taehyung whimpered and he nodded pathetically, but he couldn’t care less. He _had_ to hear it. He needed to know. The pool of heat in his stomach felt like it was exploding and all he could think about was Jungkook’s intoxicating voice, his enthralling smell, the sweet warmth of his hand around Taehyung’s dick. “I want to touch every part of you, everywhere. Ether, I want you _so_ badly, Tae.” Jungkook’s words faded into incoherent bliss and Taehyung saw stars behind his eyelids. “Look at me.” Taehyung’s eyes fluttered open and he met Jungkook’s gaze. The raven’s face was impossibly lustful. He was biting hard at his lower lip, stopping only to run his tongue along his own bruising skin. “Fuck, Tae, come for me.”

               Taehyung’s back arched and he stifled a cry. White light clouded his vision and hot liquid soaked against the fabric of his underwear and he felt his pulse throbbing behind the bliss. He gasped for air and there was Jungkook, licking at his parted lips, kissing at his face, stroking slowly at his underwear. Taehyung rode out the high with stars in his eyes and Jungkook _everywhere_. He was in his mouth, on his skin, in his head, and Taehyung wouldn’t have it any other way. Jungkook whispered sinful praise into his ear. Taehyung regained his awareness and felt Jungkook’s arms wrapping around his torso.

               “That was officially the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” Jungkook grinned. Taehyung gasped a laugh and caught his breath. He turned to face Jungkook, their noses pressed to each other.

               “That was…” Taehyung breathed, his face turning red. “Ether, it doesn’t even compare to… to doing it... myself…” Jungkook chuckled and kissed the older softly.

               “I’m so glad I walked in when I did. To think I would’ve missed this…”

               Taehyung smiled, but then his eyebrows furrowed. “Kookie, don’t you want-?”

               “No,” Jungkook breathed, his face growing red as a shy smile crossed his lips. “I was touching myself... I barely lasted thirty seconds with you looking the way you did. Plus… I’m pretty sure Wonwoo’s up now… if he wasn’t before.” Taehyung grimaced, but they both fell to giggling. Jungkook took Taehyung’s hands in his and kissed his lips lovingly. “Next time, you can help me out.”

               Taehyung grinned with a blush and licked at his lip. “You fucking bet I will.”

 

 

 

               Taehyung crawled cautiously out of the tent door. He scanned the campsite and let out a puff of air. Wonwoo had yet to emerged from his tent, which meant there was a chance he hadn’t heard the... events of the morning. Taehyung had made Jungkook promise to go back to sleep. He was planning on finally making breakfast for his companions to make up for his many moments of uselessness. He hated being such deadweight.

               Taehyung brushed his teeth at lightning speed and moved to the fireplace. As he set up the pot for yet another round of oatmeal, he couldn’t help but grin to himself. He hummed happily, stirring the pot of what he was having trouble viewing as edible food. He heard rustling and Wonwooo emerged from his tent.

               “Well, somebody seems happy this morning,” his best friend muttered. Taehyung's cheeks flushed red . “Is this the infamous ‘morning glow’ I’ve heard so much about?”

               Taehyung cocked his head. “What’s that?” he asked. Wonwoo sighed and walked over to him, giving him a forceless punch on the shoulder. Taehyung shrugged it off as Wonwoo wandered towards the trees.

               “I’m gonna go pee,” he announced. When he returned, Taehyung had scooped him a bowl of filthy breakfast and handed it to him. Wonwoo stared at the food in disappointment, but he ate it nonetheless. Taehyung poured two more bowls and attempted to sneak back into his tent. Wonwoo scoffed but, mercifully enough, didn’t harass his friend. Taehyung smiled in relief and zipped up the entrance quietly. He rummaged through his bag, always a mess, and found the small collection of herbs he had gathered the day before. He grinned and ground them up, then plopped them into the steaming oatmeal and stirred the bowls.

               Jungkook began to turn in his nap, perhaps from the smell. Taehyung smiled. He placed the bowls next to the bedroll and climbed back in to face him. He poked Jungkook gently on the nose and whispered his name. Jungkook only stirred slightly.

               “Kookie!” he said more loudly with his most annoying aegyo voice. He gave Jungkook’s nose a more forceful poke. Jungkook’s eyes fluttered open and he flashed a frown of annoyance.

               “Taehyung, I’m tired…” he grumbled. “Didn’t sleep enough before this morning…” Jungkook wrapped his arms around Taehyung’s waist abruptly, squeezed the older into a forceful embrace, and closed his eyes with satisfaction. Taehyung’s eyes bulged slightly from the squashing hold. He tried to wiggle out but Jungkook was far too strong. He sighed and wrapped his arms around Jungkook in surrender. He felt let his eyes flutter shut before Jungkook spoke. “TaeTae, you brought me breakfast?” he grinned. Jungkook released Taehyung, who took a deep breath of freedom, and planted a kiss on the older’s forehead. Taehyung grinned, his annoyance disappearing, and grabbed the bowls.

               “It’s special oatmeal today, Kookie,” he said with a smirk.

               “It’s special because you made it!” Jungkook grinned proudly at his corny line. Taehyung rolled his eyes and scooped Jungkook a bite. Jungkook’s eyes widened.

               “Woah, what is this, Tae? It’s like it’s not even oatmeal!”

               “I put in some secret stuff!” Taehyung smiled brightly at his success.

               “What did you put?” Jungkook asked through a mouthful.

               “Just some spices I’ve been collecting…”

               “Did you give some to Wonwoo, Tae?” Taehyung frowned. He hadn’t even thought about giving Wonwoo any… he was suddenly guilty, but Jungkook just giggled. “You can surprise him tomorrow, don’t worry about it.”

               They ate their oatmeal in peace, now sitting cross-legged, as they looked tiredly into each other’s eyes. Both smiled like idiots the whole time.

               “This morning was really… nice,” Jungkook stammered. “When I woke up just now I thought it had been a dream, but your hair is still…” he trailed off with a grin and Taehyung frantically smoothed out his head, blushing profusely.

               When they finished their meals, Taehyung kissed Jungkook’s lips and took his bowl out of the tent. He gave the bowls to Wonwoo, who now sat on the log eating leisurely. Wonwoo raised an eyebrow at him.

               “That’s how you repay me, Tae? After saving your life two days in a row, you leave me alone to eat and then expect me to wash the bowls myself?” Wonwoo’s voice was playful but Taehyung could tell that he felt badly.

               Taehyung frowned. “But WonWon, you’re the one who knows that water spell. I can’t wash the bowls without that,” he pleaded with a round pout. Wonwoo sighed in exacerbation and grabbed the bowls. He walked over to a patch of clean-looking snow and squatted down, but paused.

               “Taehyung, didn’t you want me to teach you this spell?” Taehyung pondered for a moment and then nodded, moving to squat down next to Wonwoo. He looked up at his friend patiently. “All right. You know how when you turn on your flashpin, you have to channel the energy into your finger? Well for this, you’re supposed to use a flow-based technique rather than a point-based technique.”

               Taehyung frowned. He didn’t know what the names of the techniques meant and Wonwoo knew it. Wonwoo made a face of understanding.

               “Sorry. Uhh…” Wonwoo’s face lit up with a thought. “How about this. Just give it a try first. You’ve seen me do it before, so just start and I’ll guide you.”

               Taehyung nodded his head, determined to show Wonwoo he wasn’t useless deadweight. He closed his eyes and cupped his left hand and a small point of multi-colored energy appeared, violet, crimson and purple rays arcing out lightly. Wonwoo made a proud smirk and patted Taehyung reassuringly on the back. Taehyung began to move his arm the way he remembered Wonwoo doing it. Nothing was happening, and Taehyung knew what he was missing.

               “How do I channel the energy in my arm?”

               “You have to let it flow,” Wonwoo said eagerly. Taehyung pictured his energy flowing through his arm, arcing like the water he was trying to control.

               “ _Woah_ ,” he heard Wonwoo breathe after a few short moments. Taehyung opened his eyes.

               In front of him, out of an area of about two by two feet, was a gigantic bubble of liquid water. It was about the height of Taehyung’s kneeling self and the width of his shoulders. It steadily moved upwards and outwards. More snow melted around the edges of its base until it was nearly the size of a massive person.

               “Taehyung, holy crap!” Wonwoo cried. Taehyung heard Jungkook unzip his tent hurriedly at the sound and let out a gasp.

               “Holy crap is right,” Jungkook breathed.

               “What… what do I do now, Wonwoo?” Taehyung asked. Wonwoo began to laugh, nearly hysterically, and plunged the bowls into the gigantic bubble.

               “Try making a current in the water,” he replied, still gaping giddily at the incredible sight. Taehyung closed his eyes again and focused, moving only his fingers this time. He felt Jungkook put a hand on his shoulder and kneel beside him. When Taehyung opened his eyes, the bowls were clean, bits of gruesome oatmeal flowing around in the otherwise pristine water. He scrunched up his nose. He had done a good job but the sight really was unfortunate. The water suddenly collapsed, splashing the boys slightly. Taehyung rubbed the back of his head.

               “Sorry about that… I guess I lost control,” he admitted.

               “Taehyung, that was fucking awesome!” Jungkook shouted. “ _You’re_ fucking awesome!”

               “All right, get a room you two,” Wonwoo snidely remarked, an awe-struck smile still on his face. “I’ll get the water off our clothes.” Wonwoo pulled the water out with the same spell masterfully and put the bowls back into his backpack.

               Taehyung grinned up at Jungkook, who was still filled with awe.

               “That was the first time you’ve ever casted that spell, right Tae?” he asked. Taehyung nodded his head, still grinning. “Wow, that’s freaking crazy! It’s really hard to move that much water at once, especially in a way that defies gravity like that.”

               “Well, Wonwoo’s a good teacher after all,” Taehyung said. Wonwoo walked over and gave Taehyung a proud high five. Jungkook stared in admiration at the older mage.

               He was falling more and more for Taehyung every second.

 

 

 

               The trio walked down the snowy path with a new-found spring in their step. Taehyung was feeling better than ever and wasn’t about to let anything get in the way of his good mood. Jungkook and Wonwoo walked on either side of the mage. Wonwoo shot them a disapproving glance when Jungkook tried to hold Taehyung’s hand, and Taehyung had decided they should probably tone it down for now.

               “So… what exactly is your assignment, guys?” Wonwoo asked. The two boys looked at each other. They had both nearly forgotten about their class.

               “Good question,” Jungkook responded. “I’m not entirely sure. Professor Seokjin likes to surprise us, so he didn’t really tell us much. He just said it’d be some sort of archeological dig of the magical variety.”

Wonwoo shrugged his head. “I swear, if this shit’s dangerous and Tae ends up nearly dying again, I’m gonna start charging you two for my services,” he hissed. Jungkook let out a chuckle but Taehyung pursed his lips. He felt like a hurricane, wreaking havoc everywhere he went.

               “Sorry, guys,” he said quietly. “I’m not sure why I get us into so much trouble.”

               Wonwoo chuckled again and gave Taehyung a firm pat on the back. “Quit worrying so much, Tae, I was just kidding,” he said with a smile. When Taehyung didn’t immediately perk up, Wonwoo frowned at him. “Taehyung, seriously. I was joking, so don’t get all pouty on me. You know I’d help you no matter what.”

               Taehyung smiled at Wonwoo and rested his head on his best friend’s shoulder momentarily. He turned then to Jungkook, but only saw him wearing a troubled look.

               “Jungkook, what’s up?” he asked quietly. Jungkook bit the side of his mouth and looked to the mountainous scenery.

               “I just… something still feels off, right?” he asked. His eyes were glossy, distant.

               “Yeah, I think so, too,” Taehyung nodded. He remembered what the banshee had screamed at him and anxiety clutched his chest. “Why do you think that, though?”

               “I mean, the whole Garrow thing made at least some logical sense – It was just three raging homophobes in a small-town bar who set up an extortion gig. But there’s still the witch… and the banshee...”

               “Well why don’t you just ask the banshee, Jung-” Wonwoo began. Jungkook interrupted him with a poisonous glare and Wonwoo flinched.

               “Wait, what? What’s that supposed to mean?” Taehyung was mostly curious at first, but Jungkook’s wincing face made him suddenly anxious.

               “Don’t worry about it, please,” Jungkook pleaded.

               “Are you hiding something from me?” Taehyung met Jungkook’s gaze directly. He couldn’t hide the sense of betrayal that was creeping up on him.

               “Taehyung, please drop it. It’s really not anything that important.” Jungkook was clearly desperate for a way out. He glanced to Wonwoo, pleading in his eyes.

               “Wow, Jeon, you really are shit at relationships,” Wonwoo muttered. Jungkook hunched his head forwards in disappointment.

               “Jungkook?!” Taehyung was fuming.

               “All right, all right,” Jungkook surrendered. “Listen, TaeTae, I don’t want you to get freaked out by this, OK? Can you promise that?”

               “Yes, just tell me, good Ether!”

               “You know how I said that banshees are made by a witch or warlock trapping their soul?” His voice was still hesitant. Taehyung nodded violently. “That vial I was holding then… it’s called an ‘essence catcher.’ Normally, it’s used for taking samples of rare magical substances, but it can also be used to… reclaim a captured soul, if the owner is weak or far away.”

               Taehyung was confused again. “Wait, so… you freed the banshee? What’s the problem in that?”

               Jungkook shook his head. “I… I haven’t freed the spirit yet, Taehyung.”

               Taehyung gaped at him, finally catching on. “Can you communicate with the spirit then? When you release it?” Jungkook winced, but nodded slowly.

               Taehyung stopped walking, and turned away from Jungkook. Wonwoo tried to place a hand on his shoulder but Taehyung wormed away quickly. He stormed off, clenching his hands into balled fists to keep his tears away, and ducked behind a tree on the edge of the path. He let his body slide to the floor along the harsh bark. _How could he have kept something like that from me? He knows what that… what that humming was…_

Taehyung couldn’t help but hear his companions’ shouting. “Leave him alone, Jungkook. You fucked up and now I have to fix it, yet again.” He heard Jungkook begin to argue back, but Taehyung retreated into his mind at once. He didn’t want to hear excuses. He felt betrayed. _Why do you expect so much from people? Why did you think Jungkook would be any different? The only person you can trust is Wonwoo, and you’ve been blowing him off like an asshole for the past two days. He must hate you now. And Jungkook, he obviously doesn’t care about you enough to tell you something like this. He knows you’re not strong enough to handle the truth, and he’s right. Maybe he just thinks you’re a good fuck._

               Taehyung rose from the ground slowly and walked out from behind the tree. The arguing stopped the moment he emerged. Jungkook stared at him expectantly, clearly praying he would have a chance to explain himself. Taehyung shot him a swift glare and walked hurriedly down the path towards their destination. He heard Jungkook attempt to catch up to him but Wonwoo must have held him back, as the arguing began again, in hushed whispers this time. He focused his gaze down at the snowy path, salty tears freezing on his face, and blocked out the world around him.

 

 

 

_“Wait, I think he’s waking up,” a voice said. Taehyung tried to open his eyes but it felt like they weighed a thousand pounds. He let out a painful groan and heard scrambling around him. “He is! Call the doctor or something, please!” He recognized the panicked voice as his mother._

_Taehyung knew well where he was. The familiar sounds of mechanical beeps and the sickly sterile smell gave it away. It wasn’t his first time waking up in this particular hospital, although it would likely be his last. His mother had warned him that they would move to another city if the bullies bothered him again. Taehyung, however, wanted nothing more than to stay where they lived. There would be bullies everywhere; he attracted them, being the weakling that he was. Yuju wouldn’t be there, though. She was his only friend, and he couldn’t lose her, no matter what._

_Taehyung finally managed to squint his eyes open, greeted by the exhausted face of his mother. She had always been beautiful, with a slim jaw and gentle cheekbones, but her eyes had some of the darkest bags he had seen her wear. Her face was wrinkled with worry and her long hair was tied in a sloppy ponytail. She was wearing her work clothes, a high-end department store uniform where she served as manager._

_“Taehyung? My baby? Are you ok?” He felt her tears land softly on his face. He hadn’t heard his mother sound like this since his sister was diagnosed with her illness. Taehyung forced himself to nod his head. It was worth the aching pain when he saw his mother’s face flush with relief. She threw her arms around his broken body and hugged him, forcing a grunt from his lungs. She pulled away. “Sorry, Tae,” she said. She placed her hand on his forehead gingerly. “Good Ether, I was so horribly worried about you.”_

_Taehyung tried to open his mouth to respond, but couldn’t find the words in his throat. He watched as a man in doctor’s robes hurried in with two nurses behind him. As he looked, he noticed that a large cast restrained any movement in his jaw and neck._ Good Ether is right, _he thought._ This is the worst it’s been in a while.

_“Kim Taehyung,” the doctor read off his chart. He approached as he spoke. When he did, Taehyung saw a police officer waiting just outside. “Hello, child. My name is Doctor Minseok. I’ve overseen your recovery for the past three days.” Taehyung gasped. It had been three days since he was beaten up?_

_“Doctor Kim, we don’t know what we would have done without you. I don’t know if he would have made it.”_

_“It’s my job, Mrs. Kim, don’t mention it. Taehyung, I need you to listen for a moment. Your jaw was shattered in multiple locations and your nose was broken. If the impact had been any lower, your windpipe may have been fatally damaged. The blood loss was likely the most life-threatening. You’ve been under intensive healing magic therapy for the past few days, so you should be back to normal fairly soon.” Taehyung tried hard to listen to the doctor but his mind was clouded. He kept eyeing the policeman outside. Doctor Lee seemed to notice. “You don’t need to worry about Officer Junmyeon, child,” he said. “He’s in charge of your case. He’s here to help.”_

_“I-” Taehyung stuttered, the pain in his jaw spiking hard. Doctor Lee didn’t stop him so he struggled through the pain. “I don’t want to do anything about it,” he managed._

_“Your mother thought you would say that. But you have to understand, Taehyung: in the end, it’s her decision, not yours. You are in her custody.”_

_“Taehyung, those boys nearly killed you. If Yuju hadn’t been there and gotten help so quickly, you may have… not made it.” Her voice was choked in fear. She gently stroked his forehead._

_“Where is she?” Taehyung breathed. He hoped hard that Yuju hadn’t seen him for too long like this._

_“She was here all of yesterday and most of this morning,” his mother said gently. “She’s so devoted to you. I hope you get to marry her someday.”_

_Taehyung smiled at his mom. “I’ve told you already…”_

_“I know, Taehyung, but things change. Maybe someday you’ll understand what love is.”_

_Taehyung hadn’t come out to his mom yet, but he had been insistent that Yuju was his best friend and nothing more. If he were being honest, he did wish he loved Yuju. Her personality was perfect, and she was cute, too. When she sang to him it felt like they were in their own world and nothing else mattered. He knew that Yuju was completely in love with him, but he couldn’t change his heart._

_As he thought of his best friend, he noticed Officer Junmyeon had entered the room and was watching him sadly. “Hello, Taehyung,” he said. “I’m Officer Seokmin. I’m in charge-”_

_“I know, officer. Thank you for helping,” he said._

_“Well, you’re quite mature for a boy of only thirteen years. I can see that well,” the officer smiled. Taehyung frowned. He wouldn’t be persuaded by the policeman’s flattery. “Mrs. Kim, have you thought about whether you want to press charges against the three families?”_

_“I do, officer,” she replied. Taehyung felt his heart sink. “I can’t stand that the school is letting them off with only three weeks’ suspension. It’s because that bastard Kai is the principle’s nephew, isn’t it?” Taehyung watched Officer Seokmin shake his head._

_“I’m not sure why the school arrived at a decision like that, but I will need you to come with me and fill out some paperwork.”_

_Taehyung looked to his mother. “Mom, I really don’t want you to. I know that they hurt me bad, but I really don’t want to change schools.”_

_“Taehyung, it’s not an option anymore,” she sighed, pushing the nappy black hair from Taehyung’s forehead. “I almost lost you and there’s absolutely no way I’m letting you get hurt again. I promise we’ll find somewhere nice. Charles said he would make sure we could afford it.”_

_Taehyung looked away from his mother. She couldn’t understand… people would bully him no matter where he went. He couldn’t stand being such a burden on her incredible soul._

_“I have to talk to Yuju,” he said softly._

 

 

 

 

               The mages arrived at their destination around 11:30, just before the sun reached the center of Gaia’s sky. The site was an unimpressive little setup – It was a traveler’s outpost graced with two crappy-looking inns, a temple, and a meager general store. The buildings stood near the peak of a very low mountain, while the archeological site itself was located below the mountain surface. A treacherous pathway made from stone steps led from the center of the outpost down the steep mountainside and onto a wooden platform. Taehyung assumed that the entrance to the site was located at the end of the wooden pathway, but the mountainside blocked his view.

               They walked to the center of the outpost and lingered. Taehyung glanced at Jungkook, but the raven seemed to share in his reluctance to break the awkward silence. Wonwoo cleared his throat. All right, Jeon, where are we supposed to go?”

               “I think Professor Seokjin said we’re staying in the smaller inn,” Jungkook replied. The three moved towards the small building while Wonwoo and Jungkook chattered about how unimpressive the outpost was. When they entered the door, Taehyung jumped out of his melancholy. Their entire class of fifteen people stood in a circle. Professor Seokjin turned around and hurried over to them.

               “Students, disciples, learners! I’m so glad you made it! How was- oh, oh my, you two look absolutely _exhausted_ … Kim Taehyung, are those bruises on your face?”

               Taehyung grimaced, having hoped futilely that his battle scars from two nights ago would go unnoticed. “Yes, Professor,” he replied, his eyes cast onto the ground.

               “Professor Seokjin,” Jungkook interjected smoothly. “We ran into an unexpected amount of trouble on the way here. I feel that there are some things we should discuss.”

               “Oh, dear, I’m so sorry!” their professor gasped, waving his hands frantically at his chests. “I felt so guilty allowing you two to travel on your own, but things were so rushed getting the class out, and-”

               “It’s really fine, Professor!” Taehyung spoke with his most convincing smile. “I promise you that we’re all right. We made it here and that’s what matters.”

               “Well… it warms my heart to see that you all are so inspired by the path to learning!” he yelped, his voice growing increasingly senile with every word he spoke. _Mages really do go crazy when they get old_. Wonwoo was missing from his previous spot by Taehyung. He turned to the front desk to see Wonwoo flirting intensely with the young man working behind it. He rolled his eyes and couldn’t help but smile.

               “Professor, like I said, I think we should have a few words with you in private,” Jungkook said.

               “Yes, yes! We are just about to head out for today’s expedition, but you all should get to your rooms and relax for the day. We were meant to have a schedule yesterday but the trip was exhausting for us as well, so we took the day off to further our studies individually. We can discuss things tomorrow morning, yes?”

               The lab partners nodded and thanked Professor Seokjin for his flexibility with a bow. Their professor rounded up their classmates and they left for the expedition. Taehyung watched Yein flash Jungkook a flirtatious smile. The older mage’s blood boiled in his veins.

               Jungkook grabbed Taehyung’s wrist and pulled him to the front desk. Taehyung suppressed an angry scream, embarrassed eyes darting back towards his classmates, but not before he managed to whisper _“I’m going to hurt you”_ into Jungkook’s ear. The younger smiled and Taehyung got the sense that he was just happy to hear his voice. Taehyung swallowed down the guilty lump in his throat.

               “Hello, friends! You must be the companions of Wonwoo here,” the innkeeper said. The man was quite handsome with his golden skin and a tall, fit-looking body. Wonwoo turned quickly to Taehyung and winked, causing the older to roll his eyes. “I’m Mingyu. I’ll make sure you enjoy your stay.”

               “Yah, I thought you only said that to me,” Wonwoo winked. Mingyu blushed profusely and scrambled to grab two room keys from under his desk.

               “Uh, well, here are your room keys. Although I’m not sure how you want to use them… your professor only paid enough for sixteen rooms, which is all we’ve got available anyway.”

               Taehyung’s heart rate picked up, conflicted between desire to be with Jungkook and bitter rage at the way he had tried to hide the truth from him.

               “Well, there’s four of us,” he heard Wonwoo say with a sly grin. “Two rooms for four people, so two and two, right?”

               “Excuse-” Mingyu began to ask, but Wonwoo interrupted him by bringing his hand up to his own lips and staring into Mingyu’s eyes. Taehyung watched Mingyu gulp hard.

               “ _Four_ of us,” Wonwoo murmured with a wink. Mingyu nodded stiffly and bent down to mess with something behind the desk. Taehyung couldn’t help but be impressed at Wonwoo’s flirting. Normally, he just spewed out corny lines in a half-assed fashion, but he clearly wasn’t goofing around this time. Taehyung also found it hilarious that Wonwoo, who was shorter than Taehyung himself at only 5’8’’, was seducing an over six-foot-tall, broad-shouldered heartthrob so easily. Wonwoo slipped a piece of paper onto Mingyu’s desk and gestured for the trio to go to their rooms.

               When they got into their room, Taehyung threw his bag down on the floor and sat at the small desk by the door. He examined the table silently, trying hard to avoid eye contact with Jungkook. His crush gently put his bags down at the foot of the bed (which was barely bigger than their bedrolls) and sat on top of the blanket.

               “This bed isn’t great but it definitely beats camping,” he said casually. Taehyung rolled his eyes. He wanted to go test the bed out too, but he wanted even more to avoid speaking with Jungkook. “Taehyung.”

               “What.” Taehyung’s voice came out like a dagger. He hid his guilt from Jungkook by huffing angrily and crossing his arms.

               “I know you’re really upset with me, but I feel like we should talk.”

               “I don’t want to talk to you right now,” he spat bitterly.

               “We’ve done this before, TaeTae. It doesn’t work. We’ll just stay mad at each other for longer this way.”

               “Don’t call me that right now,” Taehyung hissed. He saw Jungkook flinch from the corner of his eye. “You’re one to talk about what doesn’t work. You kept something like that from me for an entire day. For all I know you would’ve never told me at all.”

               “You don’t understand, Taehyung.” Jungkook’s voice grew frustrated. “Give me a chance to explain before you shut down.”

               “I’m not shutting down,” Taehyung lied. He was too angry for rationality.

               “Yes, you are. You know you are. I acknowledge that I fucked up. But if you give me a chance to explain myself, I think you’ll understand where I’m coming from.”

               Taehyung took a deep breath. Jungkook was talking to him like he was a child throwing a tantrum. “Don’t talk down to me, Jeon Jungkook.”

               “I’m not talking down to you! I’m trying to make you see reason!”

               “You can’t make me see reason! I’m pissed off!”

               “Then how are we going to work this out?!”

               Their voices were escalating fast. Taehyung stopped himself, knowing that Wonwoo would get worried if they starting shouting.

               “How do you expect me to trust you now, Jungkook?” Taehyung whispered. Tears were suddenly rolling down his cheeks. He felt cold and empty.

               “TaeTae… please, come sit here,” Jungkook pleaded sadly. Taehyung pouted, but he rose from the chair, shoulders hunched and fists clenched. He sat next to Jungkook on the bed. Without a second thought, he gave in, resting his head on Jungkook’s broad shoulder and letting his tears fall. “I’m so sorry, Tae,” Jungkook said.

               “I didn’t want to hear it,” Taehyung whimpered. Jungkook looked at him in confusion. “I didn’t want to hear… that song again…”

               “Taehyung…” Jungkook held the older’s head to his shoulder and embraced him. “I can’t even imagine what it was like.”

               “It was horrible, Kookie,” Taehyung sobbed. “It was like she was there, crying to me, asking me what I think happens when… when we die.”

Jungkook huffed out an exhale, an alarming anger fuming from his nostrils. “It’s not fair, Taehyung. Why did _you_ have to deal with all of this?!”

               “Stop, Jungkook,” he tried. “It’s just how my life is.”

               “No. Not anymore,” Jungkook stated firmly.

               “What?”

               “I’m not going to let that kind of thing happen again.”

Taehyung let out a tearful giggle at the childish promise. “You can’t stop that kind of thing-”

               “I can and I will. And if I can’t, I’ll catch you when they try to knock you down.” Taehyung smiled sadly into the crook of Jungkook’s neck. There was a moment of quiet tears.

               “Jungkook?”

               “Yes, TaeTae?”

               “What should I ask the spirit?”

               Jungkook was silent for a moment. He rubbed Taehyung’s shoulder again. “Whatever you want to ask, Tae.”

               “Is it my sister, Kookie?”

               “No. But the banshee has probably met your sister’s spirit somehow. Banshees may have one foot bound to this earth, but they still have another in the Ether, where your sister’s spirit rests.”

               Taehyung’s tears fell softly and silence filled the room again.

               “Are you sure you want to be there when we release the spirit, Tae?”

               “Yes,” the older responded firmly. Jungkook nodded his head and shifted to kiss Taehyung’s swollen face. He took him in his arms and helped him lie down on the bed, then he pulled the covers over them and hugged Taehyung tight, kissing his forehead gently.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowee, it's a roller coaster as per usual! I hope you enjoyed <3   
> If you have any suggestions/comments/feelings whatsoever please let me know! It keeps me going :D


	6. You're the Best

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!! Sorry it's been so long since my last update. Unfortunately, break is about to be over, so I won't be able to post as frequently. I'll definitely aim for once or twice a week (I have a lot written so far so that should be doable). In the meantime, I'm hoping to post one chapter a day for the next few days before classes start up again. If you're excited for the next chapter/have thoughts please let me know, the comments give me motivation and make my day!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!!

               After nearly five hours of lazy napping and warm cuddling, Jungkook finally wormed his way out of Taehyung’s arms. The sun was making its descent through the jagged skyline and its bright orange light spilled through their window. The view from the little outpost really was gorgeous, so far removed from the stress of student life. Taehyung sat up in bed and watched Jungkook step just in front of the window to take in the view. The golden rays spilled over his face. His white t-shirt and his dark, glossy hair glowed in it. Taehyung sighed and leaned back down onto his elbow, resting his head in his hand. Jungkook glanced over and made a playful pout.

               “You can’t go back to bed, TaeTae!” he practically squealed. The aegyo voice was a bit jarring at first, but Taehyung was beginning to understand that real-life Jungkook was nothing like his reputation would imply. Taehyung grinned and closed his eyes.

               “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you, Kookie?”

               Jungkook brought his fingers to his chin and made an unnecessarily loud, thoughtful hum. “Maybe you’ll wake up if I do this…” he began. Taehyung didn’t miss a beat and stared intently at his crush.

               He took in the sight with admiration as Jungkook slowly pulled off his shirt, turning back to the light of the window. The setting sun cast the most incredible shadows on his lightly tanned skin. Taehyung gasped for air. Just the sight of it made him question whether this insanely gorgeous boy was the same one he had just cuddled with for hours.

               “I’m up!” he shouted impulsively, surprising even himself. Jungkook just giggled and nodded happily.

 

               After taking turns to bathe in the surprisingly well-furnished bathroom, the two boys decided to look around for their classmates. Wonwoo didn’t seem to be in the room, so they set off to find Professor Seokjin. They checked the lobby first.

               Taehyung noticed that the person at the front desk was no longer the tall and handsome Mingyu, but instead a shorter boy with bleach-blond hair. His eyes pointed uniquely at a downturned angle. He smiled brightly when he saw the two boys and held up a hand to wave.

               “Hello, friends! Have you enjoyed your stay so far?” he greeted brightly. Taehyung nodded his head with a smile in return. “Good, glad to hear it! My name is Soonyoung. I’m the night manager here. If you ever need anything past five o’clock, just let me know!”

               “Thanks, will do,” Jungkook replied. He took Taehyung’s hand in his, causing the older to grow suddenly disoriented. Only Wonwoo had seen them like this before, was it really OK to just hold hands like that? Jungkook’s eyes widened and he let go abruptly. Both boys’ cheeks were flushed, but thankfully Soonyoung’s face was still smiling quite genuinely. Taehyung spoke to alleviate the awkwardness.

               “Excuse me, Soonyoung, but would you happen to know what our classmates have been up to today? We’ve been resting since we arrived around noon.”

               “The last desk manager informed me that your class returned only an hour after they left, around 1:00. He overheard your professor mention that there was some sort of problem. They’ll probably be heading over to the larger inn for dinner soon, just across the path outside.”

               The mages thanked Soonyoung and trudged out and into the bitter cold again.

               “I don’t know why I always forget how frigid this place is when I’m inside for more than an hour,” Taehyung muttered.

               “Agreed. I, uh, I don’t know why I forgot that nobody knows… about us. Besides Wonwoo, of course.”

               Taehyung clenched his teeth. He knew that things were bound to start getting a bit more complicated when they introduced their classmates into the mix.

               “Yeah, I almost did too.” Taehyung searched Jungkook for a response.

               “Should we keep things quiet then?” Jungkook’s face was indecipherable and Taehyung’s chest began to feel heavy with concern.

               “Well, I don’t really think we’ve established what things are yet…”

               Jungkook inhaled a sharp breath. “It’s just, being on such a long trip with only you – and Won, I mean – I kind of forgot that it wouldn’t be like that afterwards, you know?”

               Taehyung couldn’t help but smirk at how Wonwoo had been an afterthought, but also that Jungkook felt so similarly to him.

               “You took the words right out of my mouth, to be honest,” he replied softly. “It’s funny that I never thought about us in relation to… other people?” Jungkook smiled and glanced quickly around them. He made a relieved expression when he saw the coast was clear and laced his fingers through Taehyung’s as they walked. They had already approached the inn, but had clearly both agreed to circle around the outpost once or twice to finish talking.

               “So, what are we, then?” Taehyung asked shyly. _Jeez, Taehyung, still not past the embarrassed little kid phase?_ His heart was fluttering nonetheless. He knew what Jungkook would say.

               “I guess… we’re definitely really good friends, right?”

               And that had not been it.

               Taehyung’s heart sank. He swiveled his head quickly to Jungkook, who was looking at him with a confused expression. Taehyung tried to pull his fingers away from Jungkook. The raven tightened his grasp and Taehyung had to pull harder. The extra effort it required only riled Taehyung up more.

               “Taehyung…?”

               “We’re really good friends? Really, Jungkook?” Taehyung was seething, but he didn’t have the patience or time to understand why. “After cuddling in bed for five hours straight? Not to mention what happened this morning.”

               “That’s not what I meant, Taehyung-”

               Taehyung’s body tensed and his fists clenched. He wanted to listen but he was shutting down at the disappointment. It felt far too much like the way Jungkook’s earlier betrayal had felt, and he wasn’t having it anymore.

               “Never mind, Jungkook,” he hissed. “You should go have dinner and find the professor. I’m going to go talk to Wonwoo for a bit.”

               “Wait, Taehyung, why? What did I say so wrongly that you won’t even listen to me again?” Taehyung didn’t respond. He was already turning toward their inn, huffing loudly to hold back his tears of disappointment. “You’re just going to go tell Wonwoo about everything, then? Why can’t we talk it out?!”

               “Yeah! And while I’m at it, maybe I’ll sleep in his bed tonight, give him a hand job or two! After all, that’s what good friends do, right?” He speed-walked back into the warm lobby before Jungkook could respond.

 

               Taehyung banged on the door to Room 4. He didn’t hear anything inside but he couldn’t imagine Wonwoo would be out for this long without even trying to get them. He felt guilty again for not paying more attention to his best friend. He imagined Wonwoo walking around all by himself or eating dinner alone.

               His guilt disappeared immediately when the door was answered by a tall, dark boy who was _definitely_ not Wonwoo. Taehyung gasped. It was Mingyu, from the front desk earlier – except this Mingyu wasn’t wearing a shirt. And were those bite marks all over his strong-looking neck? _Damn, Won, you really lucked out._

               “Oh, uh, hi! Wonwoo, it’s your friend I think,” Mingyu said. His voice was much deeper and relaxed than before. The room was nearly pitch-black with the shades drawn over the setting sun, but he could tell that Wonwoo was lying on his bed, holding his covers tight over his clearly-naked torso. Taehyung clenched his teeth. Of all the awkward situations to happen at a time like this…

               “Wait, Taehyung?! Fuck, Mingyu, you said it was probably your manager!”

               “I’m sorry, OK? I’m not exactly thinking straight right now,” Mingyu said with a hiccup.

               “Oh, my good Ether, Won,” Taehyung groaned. “Can’t you at least have the decency to slip a note under my door or something?”

               “Why?! It’s not like you ever let me know when you and your new boyfriend were going to get all lovely-dovey,” Wonwoo snapped.

               Taehyung flinched. “Never mind,” he whispered, turning to head back to his door. Mingyu grabbed his arm with a concerned look and he heard Wonwoo breathe a sigh.

               “Could you pass me those, Mingie?”

               _Mingie? Oh Ether, this is going to be interesting._ Mingyu released Taehyung’s arm with a smile that said ‘don’t leave yet.’ Taehyung watched Mingyu bend over – realizing then that he was only wearing his very short boxers – and stared at his nearly-exposed backside. He struggled to maintain his composure. It was definitely a nice ass. _Not as nice as Jungkook’s, though,_ he thought. And great, now he was upset again.

               Mingyu threw Wonwoo what looked like underwear and a collared shirt. He swore he saw Mingyu giggling. Wonwoo quickly submerged under the covers and stepped out of bed after putting on the clothing. Mingyu laughed heartily at the sight.

               “What? Wait, this isn’t my shirt… and these boxers – Ether damn it, Mingyu.”

               Mingyu held his sides as he laughed and Taehyung couldn’t help but smile as well. At least this guy seemed to match Wonwoo’s sense of humor.

               “You look pretty adorable, Wonnie,” Mingyu chuckled darkly. “It’s kinda hot seeing you in my shirt like that.” Taehyung felt like throwing up.

               “Ether, people, keep it in your pants, will you?”

               “We already got that out of the way, Tae-ah,” Wonwoo winked.

               “All right, I’m leaving. Knock on my door when you’re done eye-fucking each other.” Taehyung spun and shut the door with an unnecessary slam. As he left he heard Mingyu ask if he could come too.

              

               Unfortunately, laying on his bed alone for fifteen minutes left Taehyung alone with his thoughts. He shoved his head face-down into his pillow and let out a cry of frustration. The way Jungkook had looked at him, so horribly clueless, after saying something that stupid. Taehyung tried to rationalize with himself. Clearly, Jungkook was just an utter idiot when it came to other people, and he didn’t understand that it was OK to admit he liked Taehyung. But at the same time, Taehyung couldn’t trust himself. This had all happened so quickly and maybe Jungkook just wasn’t as into it as he was. Is this what Jungkook thought friends were supposed to do? Was Jungkook just trying to make him feel better? Maybe he just wanted to fuck Taehyung?

               A much-needed knock on the door rattled him out of his dark thoughts. He heard Wonwoo enter and sit next to him on his bed, then heard Mingyu plop down on the floor nearby.

               “You know, knocking isn’t helpful if you don’t wait for an answer,” Taehyung muttered bitterly. Wonwoo only chuckled and rubbed Taehyung’s back.

               “Tae-ah, what’s wrong? Is it something with the boy?”

               Taehyung sighed dramatically. “I don’t know, Wonwoo! Is he even _the boy_? How am supposed to know what’s going on between us?” His face was in his pillow again _. Crying like a baby, just like always._ He wanted to hit himself for being such an embarrassment. He stole a glance at Mingyu, who wore a surprisingly empathetic face, sitting patiently on the rug.

               “Taehyung, that’s ridiculous. You’re still not sure if he likes you? Even Mingyu said he could tell that Jungkook wanted the ‘d’,” he reassured, seemingly unaware of how cringe-worthy it was.

               “To be accurate, I said that he seemed really into you,” Mingyu clarified. “Something must have happened, right Taehyung?”

               “Yeah, something happened all right… we were in the hotel lobby and he accidently held my hand, but then he pulled away because we forgot the hotel manager was watching us. Then, while we walked to dinner, we talked about what ‘we’ are.” He gave pause for a moment. Wonwoo made an understanding sigh.

               “So, it was _that_ kind of talk,” he said. “I assume you’re upset because it didn’t go well?”

               “It went horribly, Won! He told me that we’re ‘definitely really good friends!’” Taehyung paused to sniffle quite loudly. He whimpered and tried to hold back his tears. “We had spent hours cuddling once we got back, and we had just made up from that crap you two pulled on me this morning, too!”

               Wonwoo winced. He rubbed Taehyung’s head. “That was more of a spur-of-the-moment decision on Jungkook’s part. He decided it’d be better not to tell you until the professor gave his opinion.” Taehyung rolled his eyes. It all just felt like excuses for not giving Taehyung the truth, no matter how hard it would be to handle. “Anyway, what happened next?”

               “I just left… I was so bitter I couldn’t handle it anymore.”

               “You really shouldn’t have walked off, Tae,” Wonwoo nagged. “Jungkook’s an idiot, but it’s so painfully obvious that he’s enamored with you-”

               “Yeah, sure, but what if he’s not willing to accept me as a boyfriend? What if he just wants to fuck me? Or worse, what if he’s closeted and doesn’t want to believe it?!” His two visitors breathed a simultaneous sigh.

               “I won’t lie, Tae, that’s definitely possible,” Wonwoo said. “That time that I talked to him, after he freaked you out... I asked him if he’s gay and he looked at me like I was insane. But then I asked him if he’s into you and his face turned red as a tomato. I don’t really think he gets it either, Tae.”

               Mingyu cleared his throat and jumped in. “I know that you barely know me, Taehyung, but I think you should try to be more patient with him.” Mingyu’s voice brimmed with insight. “From what I was told, your trip has been long and exhausting. Typically, people don’t fall for each other while camping out together every single day and saving each other from horrible, near-death experiences, so I don’t think you can expect your relationship with him to start out normally either, right?”

               Taehyung sniffled. He wasn’t used to his friends being this rational and insightful with him. Wonwoo was always helpful, but he sometimes couldn’t shake the goofy, best-friend tone from his voice, at least not with Taehyung.

               “I guess you’re right…” Taehyung admitted. “But you’re one to talk, look at you two!”

               Wonwoo’s hand ceased its rubbing temporarily to give Taehyung’s back a harsh smack. “Shut up, Tae,” he hissed.

               “Actually… I don’t really think we’re dating…” Mingyu began. Taehyung glanced at Mingyu and saw his eyes were cast downwards, a frown on his face.

               “Oh, come _on_ ,” Taehyung groaned. He sat up abruptly and faced the two boys. “You two are clearly into each other, so what’s the problem? Is it because you just met?” Wonwoo seemed like he was about to speak, but Mingyu just nodded his head obediently, so Taehyung continued. “Look, you should consider yourselves lucky you didn’t have to spend months secretly obsessing over your crush. It was absolute fucking torture looking at Jungkook every single day and feeling like there was no way he would ever even talk to me, let alone _kiss_ me.”

               Wonwoo sighed and patted Taehyung’s back. “Just let us work it out, Taehyung. You were the one who interrupted our alone time, after all.”

               Taehyung returned to his face-in-pillow position. “All right, fair enough,” he mumbled. “Just make sure you don’t let a good thing slip you by again, Won.” He felt Wonwoo grimace as his hand froze against Taehyung’s back. He saw Mingyu’s expression change out of the corner of his eye, but he didn’t steal a glance this time. His thoughts had returned to Jungkook.

               A quiet rapping on the door interrupted the awkward moment of silence. Taehyung sat up again, fear showing on his face.

               “That must be Jeon himself, right?” Wonwoo whispered. Taehyung shook his head, still fearful in his eyes. He didn’t feel ready to talk it out at all. He wished that he had more time to get advice, especially from Mingyu. His perspective wasn’t too biased, and he seemed smart enough.

               “Come in,” he heard Mingyu say. He hit himself on the head. _Why do I make such wild assumptions about people?_

               Jungkook opened the door slowly, a confused expression on his face. His eyes immediately found Taehyung and he stared questioningly at the older.

               “Is this a bad time or something?” Jungkook asked. Taehyung could tell that he was annoyed at the thought of leaving his own room, just because Wonwoo and a random stranger were busy chatting. Despite Jungkook’s obvious irritation, Taehyung was ready to ask him to come back later, when Mingyu spoke.

               “No, not at all! We were just trying to help Taehyung make sense of things.” The giant spoke casually and Taehyung cringed at his honesty. “We met earlier today, but in case you can’t remember I’m Mingyu.” 

               “Yeah, I remember you. Funny seeing you… in my own room, I guess?” Jungkook had a very bewildered look on his face. “So, I take it you were telling them about our shit, right Tae?” Taehyung winced and opened his mouth to answer, but again he heard Mingyu’s voice.

               “He was, yes. I think you should join our conversation, Jungkook.”

               “Mingyu, it’s not really our place to stay.” Wonwoo rose and grabbed Mingyu’s arm, eliciting a little yelp from the giant. “We will be going.” Mingyu complained profusely, mostly about the value of a mediator, but Wonwoo dragged him out by the ear lobe. Taehyung couldn’t help but giggle.

               “Thanks for helping, Won,” Taehyung called. Wonwoo flashed him a wink and shut the door behind them.

               After a short silence, Jungkook approached the bed cautiously. Taehyung returned his face to the soft pillow and sighed. “Just sit down, Jungkook.” His crush sat on the bed, careful to keep a space between them. His hands made fists in his lap as he bit at the sides of his mouth.

               “I think you should know that I overheard some of that,” he said. “Your friends were right about what they said.” Taehyung turned his face to look at Jungkook with wide eyes. “I’m really confused about what’s going on in my head. You know I’m not a very social person… I don’t really have friends, and before this week, I never really tried to make them.” Jungkook closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. Taehyung swallowed hard. Jungkook had a hard time talking about this stuff. The last time he did, he was close to tears. The only other times he had cried were because of Taehyung’s shit, not his own.

               “To be honest, it’s not because I don’t want friends. It’s because I don’t let myself think about it. Whenever I do think about…” his voice was growing shaky. He paused to swallow and take another breath. “…about how lonely I am, I just force it out of my head. But I’m so lonely… I see people with their friends and it makes me so sad. I told myself that I didn’t need friends, because all I needed was magic and success and skill. I thought it would be enough.” And there were the tears. Taehyung felt his heart wrenching.

               “Jungkook, you don’t have to-”

               “No, I do have to!” Jungkook stared at him with a desperation in his eyes. “ _Please_ , don’t let me shove it out of my head again!” he shouted. His voice was pleading, begging even. Taehyung swallowed hard and nodded his head. He remembered how Jungkook had been when he fought off the criminals in Garrow, how his screams and cries had pierced Taehyung’s ears.

               “All right, I won’t let you, Kookie. I promise.”

               Jungkook gasped for air between his sobbing. “T-thank you, Tae…” he swallowed down another gulp. “The same thing happened for my… romantic feelings, I guess? I mean I knew some people were pretty and some weren’t. I thought I would marry a pretty girl and have kids who were smart and teach them to be mages, too. Since I was forcing down my loneliness, I figured that my romantic feelings were being forced down too. I figured that once I got out of college and started working, I would start feeling something for girls.”

               Taehyung sat up slowly as he listened. Before the trip, he hadn’t considered Jungkook’s sexuality at all. He certainly hadn’t thought he was into guys. He remembered how hard it was when he finally came out to Yuju, how horrible the consequences had been when some of the other people at school found out. He shook the memories away and sat with legs on either side of Jungkook’s body, wrapping his arms around Jungkook’s torso in an embrace. He rested his head on Jungkook’s left shoulder and whispered to him.

               “But you didn’t?”

               “Not for girls…” his voice trailed off and he took another breath. “I think it was two weeks after I first got to Frosthelm. I was sitting in the dining hall and reading about Kwon Yuri, the first mage to fully document how magical energy can be consciously moved throughout the body. I looked up and saw these two guys at the table near me. They were eating their food and giggling. I didn’t really think anything of it until I looked up again and saw them kissing.” He froze for a moment and turned his head away from Taehyung. “I mean, it’s not like it made me _horny_ or anything. I just suddenly found myself wishing it was me there.” His crying picked up again. Taehyung could tell it was the first time he had told anyone about this.

               “I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I tried so hard. After the first term, I went home to visit family. I didn’t have any work to do, so I kept thinking about it all the time. Then my mom randomly asked me if something was wrong when we were eating lunch together. I asked her if she thought that guys could love other guys instead of girls. She told me that anything is possible in the world of magic and that it’s a lot more common than most people think. Ether, I was so happy.” Jungkook took in a breath and smiled sadly at the ceiling. “I thought everything was fine… until the day before I went back to college. My dad came into my room. He was all upset and worried about something, and he kept asking me if I had a girlfriend. I kept saying that I didn’t because I didn’t have any time and wasn’t into any of the girls I knew. He told me that if I ever brought a… a man home, he’d kill him on the spot…”

               Taehyung felt his stomach twist in knots. His mother had sobbed profusely when he came out to her, but she told him that she loved him anyway. Nowadays she would always ask if he was dating any cute boys. Sure, the violence he faced at school made him hate his sexuality, and Charles wasn’t great about it, but if his own parents had said something like _that_ … he gripped Jungkook tighter and rubbed his chest. Jungkook sighed momentarily into the touch.

               “I just told him that I didn’t know why I’d bring a guy home and he huffed out of the room. We haven’t talked about that since, although he does still ask me if I have a girlfriend sometimes. When I got back to college, I kept thinking about it… I couldn’t shake it off. I also kept seeing those same two guys because they ate lunch at the same time as me, and it made me want to throw up. I just kept feeling relieved that I hadn’t been… attracted to any guys yet. I started going to parties that semester. I was all by myself and I didn’t drink, but I was so desperate to prove it to myself. I hooked up with a few girls but I always ended up running away after kissing them for a bit. That’s actually how I met Yein.” Taehyung felt a pang in his chest. He wasn’t sure if it was jealousy or sympathy. “No matter how gorgeous or hot the girls were, I never felt good about it. I always felt horrible. I still feel so bad about Yein; she’s still into me and it’s been over a year since then. She keeps asking me out and trying to talk to me about it but I keep avoiding her...”

               “It’s ok, Jungkook. You can’t expect too much from yourself. We can deal with her later.”

               Jungkook nodded and wiped the snot collecting at his nose. Taehyung felt horrible thinking it, but somehow, Jungkook’s pathetic sobbing was adorable.

               “I stopped doing that crap after hooking up with like eight different girls. That was around the middle of sophomore year. And then… things changed.” Taehyung lifted his head in curiosity and perched his chin on Jungkook’s shoulder. “It was when I met you, Taehyung.”

               Taehyung’s heart raced in his chest. This was another level of confession. He knew that Jungkook was attracted to him, but seeing him so vulnerable… Taehyung was more sure that Jungkook was being honest than he had ever been.

               “You probably don’t remember this, but it was the night of the last big party of the year. I decided to go because I hadn’t gone in so long and I was feeling really fed up with one of my professors. I had been in a class with one of the two guys I kept seeing together. He randomly asked me to go to the party with him. We had only talked a few times but I guess he could tell that I was lonely. He brought me and his boyfriend and he even convinced me to drink a few shots. I was tipsy so I actually danced that time. It was really dark, but… I still saw you. You were standing with some other guy. That must have been Wonwoo, I guess. He was flirting with some chick and he left with her and you were just standing all alone. I was so confused… my heart was beating so quickly and I couldn’t stop staring at your _face._ You weren’t wearing your glasses and you had this sexy shirt on… Ether, I felt ways I hadn’t ever let myself feel before.” Jungkook took a huge gasp of air. “Wow, I can’t believe I’m saying this!” he chuckled. Taehyung knew his face was beet red. “It must have been the alcohol… but there was something about you. The guy who invited me leaned into my ear and told me your name. Kim Taehyung.” Taehyung felt shivers in his spine. He was so incredibly enthralled in the story that he was holding his breath. Just the thought that Jungkook had even noticed him before becoming his lab partner made him want to pass out.

               “Everything changed after that. I kept seeing you everywhere. There was only a week of school left but I saw you at least once a day. You were always wearing your glasses and those dorky sweatshirts. Probably because I wasn’t so intoxicated, I could suppress my thoughts. I just kept telling myself that you were an attractive guy and that I felt just as little for everyone else. The guys who brought me to the party started eating lunch with me that week, and he caught me looking at you one time. He suddenly told me he was going to introduce you, and he got up, but I sprinted off before he could.”

               “I remember,” Taehyung breathed. “You’re talking about Chanyeol, right?” Jungkook nodded his head. He wasn’t really crying anymore; in fact, he seemed quite relieved. “Yeah, he and Baekhyun are still dating as far as I know. He and I have talked for a while but I don’t know him that well. He’s just a friendly guy I guess, considering how hard he was trying to set us up!” Taehyung let out a hearty laugh. He was shockingly giddy; it was all still too much to believe. “I can’t believe you were the guy he wanted to introduce to me…”

               “Yeah, it’s crazy. Especially considering how we ended up in the same Arch class this year. The day we were picking lab partners, I was late by like five minutes. Everyone else had picked a partner except you, Yein, Chungha and me. When Professor Seokjin asked me who I would be partners with, I immediately picked you, without even a second thought. I told myself it was because Yein was obsessed with me and Chungha’s is too smart to be my lab partner. She would totally try to do all the work. But the truth is I just went with my gut. I’ve _never_ been late to class before, Taehyung… it’s crazy it happened that day.”

               Jungkook was grinning now in disbelief, sobbing all but vanished, and Taehyung found himself doing the same. It all seemed like a trashy romance novel. Taehyung shifted to lie down on the bed and pulled Jungkook down with him. The younger faced the ceiling, still grinning wildly, eyes puffy from sobbing. Taehyung rested his head on the raven’s chest.

               “I was so disappointed when Professor Seokjin told us that most of the partner work would just be the trip at the end, but just having an excuse to sit next to you was so nice. I had to actually _try_ to focus on work for once.”

               At this, Taehyung let out a loud laugh. They couldn’t be less similar in that regard. “Must’ve been tough, genius,” he snickered. Jungkook’s smile slipped away and his face grew serious.

               “Oh, it was, Taehyung. I was fucked up. I kept thinking about how terrible I was being. I had this nightmare a few nights before our trip where I took you home, and… my dad…” his voice trailed off. Taehyung panicked, grasping Jungkook’s chest and kissing his cheek hastily. He was about to stop Jungkook when he remembered his promise – he couldn’t let Jungkook push it away again.

               “Take your time, Kookie,” he said softly. Jungkook took a calming breath.

               “He… he killed you. He fucking killed you. And I know it was just a dream but it was horrifying. I swore to myself the moment I woke up that I wouldn’t let you get into my head anymore. I was so furious at myself for even dreaming about you.” Jungkook paused and kissed Taehyung on his head. “I already told you this, but I think you may have been asleep… the time when I knew it was useless to fight my attraction to you, when I really admitted how incredible you are and how much I wanted to kiss you, was when I saw your aura for the first time. We had just been talking about how it’s basically impossible to have a violet aura, and then there you were, with your violet, _multi-colored_ aura. I had never seen something like it before. And it didn’t help that you had just been acting so fucking adorable with that whole licking thing you tried to pull.”

               Taehyung giggled into Jungkook’s chest. “I was mortified when you scolded me for that,” he whispered.

               “I’ve been so horribly into you ever since, Kim Taehyung.”

               There was a moment of silence as Taehyung tried hard not to scream with joy. He wanted so badly to kiss Jungkook right there but he knew there was still more he had to help him say. Jungkook hesitated, but then continued.

               “I should mention… I also heard what you said earlier to Wonwoo and that tall guy, about how terrible it had been to have a crush on me for so long… I’m sorry. Even this afternoon when we were talking, I was so preoccupied with my own shit I couldn’t bring myself to admit how I really feel.” Taehyung swallowed back fresh tears. Now he felt guilty, too. “I also want you to know… I am _not_ just looking to have sex with you. Just the thought of doing something like that to you makes me want to rip my hair out. You were right, though…”

               “About you being in the closet…?” Jungkook nodded his head. “I’m sorry, Kookie. I was really upset and I said that in a bad way. It’s fine if you’re not out yet, I would never judge you for that.”

               “I know that TaeTae,” Jungkook replied. “You’re not that kind of person. But you were right to be worried about it. It’s not easy for me to talk about. That said, I hope you can see how… how happy you make me feel. I’m fucking obsessed with you.”

               “I’m fucking obsessed with you, too,” Taehyung breathed. He moved his hand to Jungkook’s cheek and stared deep into his dark eyes.

               “Do you want to know what this is, Taehyung?” Jungkook whispered, gesturing between their two bodies, his pupils focused entirely into Taehyung’s gaze. Taehyung nodded hastily. Jungkook bit his lip. “Fuck it. Taehyung, you’re my boyfriend now.” Taehyung felt a giddy smile curl his lips. His brain was a horribly confusing mess; he wasn’t sure if he wanted to scream in joy, kiss Jungkook hard, or melt into a giant puddle of blissed-out liquid. Instead, he settled for forcing out a feeble reply.

               “Finally.”

               He was barely able to finish the last syllable before Jungkook pulled his face in and kissed him hard. He felt Jungkook curl one hand behind his head and one arm around his waist, pulling Taehyung in close. He shifted his hand from Jungkook’s cheek to the base of his neck and held his other hand against his strong chest. They were full of bliss, their kissing far more passionate than ever before, but also somehow less urgent. It was loving, it was comfortable, it was intense, and it was perfect.

               Jungkook took a deep breath in through his nose as they froze in the kiss and arched his back, pushing his ribs into Taehyung’s torso. Taehyung quickly evacuated his hand and placed it on the other side of Jungkook’s face. Jungkook pulled away from the kiss and held Taehyung carefully as he scooted his own back up the headboard of the bed so he was half-sitting and half-reclining. Taehyung shifted immediately and sat on his lap, eyes staring deeply into Jungkook’s intense gaze.

               “You’re insanely gorgeous,” Jungkook breathed.

               “No, you are,” Taehyung whispered back. “I actually can’t believe this is happening.”

               “Neither can I, TaeTae,” he said with a grin.

               Jungkook wrapped his arms around Taehyung’s waist and shifted him closer so their bodies touched completely, his lips meeting Jungkook’s. Taehyung couldn’t stop grinning a boxy smile as they kissed.

               Jungkook pulled away and made a pouty face at the older. “How am I supposed to get my tongue down your throat if you’re grinning with your jaw closed like that?”

               Taehyung’s heart rushed against his ribs. “Stop it, Kookie,” he said, putting on the cutest face he could. “I’m supposed to be the adorable one!” Jungkook threw his head back in laughter.

               “Guess I’ll have to try this way,” he said with a scheming smile. Jungkook slipped a hand under Taehyung’s shirt and drifted along the small of his back teasingly. He looked up at Taehyung again, but this time he bit his lower lip and held his eyes half-lidded. Taehyung’s eyes widened and his grin vanished, a wave of lust washing over him. Taehyung felt Jungkook pull him in immediately, kissing him again. Jungkook opened his mouth to move his tongue just onto Taehyung’s lips, prompting the older to meet with his tongue as well. Tongue clashed with tongue as Jungkook pushed into Taehyung’s mouth. He felt the raven exploring him and he gently slid his tongue over Jungkook’s, tasting his desire.

               Taehyung let his hands roam down Jungkook’s sides and under the center of his shirt, tracing along his abs. He felt Jungkook’s roll and Taehyung realized that the younger’s hips were making the tiniest of thrusting movements into Taehyung’s hips. His body heated up with arousal. Jungkook was losing his inhibitions and it made Taehyung crave more. He moaned as Jungkook’s tongue probed deeper into his mouth and towards his throat. Jungkook’s hands drifted up Taehyung’s back where one stayed, and the other loomed back down until it groped at Taehyung’s butt. Taehyung pulled away and grinned at Jungkook.

               “Good job, Kookie,” he said with a teasing smile.

               “God, how are you so fucking cute? It drives me crazy,” Jungkook growled. Taehyung shivered at the deep lust in his voice.

               “Holy shit, Jungkook,” he breathed. Jungkook grinned menacingly and used the hand at Taehyung’s upper back to begin maneuvering his shirt off. Taehyung lifted his arms and his torso was exposed in a flash. Jungkook ran his hands along Taehyung’s soft stomach and up the center of his chest, then across his collarbone.

               “Jesus, it’s insane how hot you are,” he whispered, his face almost pained. Taehyung grinned at the younger.

               “Bite me.” He shifted his head slightly backwards and to the side, his long neck bared for Jungkook. The raven cursed under his breath and pulled Taehyung closer, bringing his hand to Taehyung’s jaw to keep his head in place. Taehyung whimpered as Jungkook planted harsh kisses down his neck and onto his collarbone, where he sucked softly at the skin. Absorbed in it, Taehyung took deep and heavy breathes and let his eyes close. He felt every single tug that Jungkook’s soft lips made on his skin. The warm wetness mixed with the tugging sensation drove him crazy.

               Jungkook paused momentarily and looked up at Taehyung. The raven growled a curse under his breath. Jungkook gave his collar a harsher suck and then bit the skin. Taehyung’s eyes flew open and he threw his head back with a whimper. The sensations were incredible and the noises that left Jungkook’s lips as he worked thoroughly on Taehyung’s collar drove him crazy. Jungkook quickly lost his finesse, his teeth practically gnawing on Taehyung’s fragile skin. Taehyung grinned wildly and pushed Jungkook off his neck with more force than he had intended. A passionate smile grazed Jungkook’s lips as he met Taehyung’s eyes, but his face turned to shock as he glanced downwards.

               “Your neck…” he breathed. Taehyung craned backwards to see himself in their room’s only mirror. He stared with wide eyes at his reflection – his neck was littered with intense marks of purples and blues. He smiled as he traced his finger over the bruises. Jungkook clearly couldn’t keep his hands still either; he practically ripped the shirt off his own body and threw it to the corner of the room, then returned his focus to Taehyung’s face. “Does it… hurt?” he asked softly.

               “What do you think?” Taehyung retorted with a raised eyebrow. Jungkook’s face turned red with worry, but Taehyung only let out a giggle. The older leaned in closer and whispered, “In a good way, you animal.”

               “Want me to kiss it and make it better?” Jungkook whispered back.

               “Fuck no, jerk. It’s my turn.” Jungkook grinned and gripped Taehyung’s slim waist, leaning his head back to expose his own neck. Even Jungkook’s neck was healthy and strong. Taehyung leaned in and explored Jungkook’s torso with his palms as he sucked on the skin of his neck. The older was far more methodical about it than the younger had been. He paused every few moments to pick the next spot he would leave with a bruise, being careful not to bite down too hard. Jungkook began moving his hands around Taehyung’s bare torso, grazing over his nipples lightly. Taehyung pulled back.

               “Yah, I didn’t interrupt you when you were mouth-fucking my neck,” he complained obnoxiously. Jungkook pouted up at him, clearly struggling not to let a grin show.

               “It feels so good I can’t keep my hands still, TaeTae.”

               Taehyung rolled his eyes before looking down at Jungkook. His dark round eyes stared up at him behind long eyelashes and his lips hung slightly open in heavy breath. His nose was perfectly straight, almost sculpted to match his features. When Taehyung examined his jawline, he felt himself beginning to swoon. He lowered himself down to kiss Jungkook. He shivered as he explored the warm space of Jungkook’s mouth. He felt Jungkook’s hand groping firmly at his ass. When Taehyung felt satisfied with the kiss he pulled back and looked at Jungkook through sultry eyes.

               “We’ll miss dinner,” he whispered.

               “Who the fuck cares?” Jungkook asked brashly. “This is what I’m craving right now,” he stated with a wink as he slapped Taehyung’s ass. Taehyung let out a jolt of air as Jungkook grabbed his waist and shifted him so his back rested on the bed. The raven spun on top of him and straddled his hips, pulling off his pants as he went. He threw them to the floor and gasped when Taehyung palmed Jungkook’s erect dick through his boxers. Jungkook grabbed Taehyung’s free hand with his own and held Taehyung’s face with the other.

               “You sure you want to go there, TaeTae?” he growled menacingly. Taehyung raised an eyebrow.

               “Fuck, yes,” he breathed. In a flash, Jungkook had pulled off Taehyung’s pants and was chucking them across the room. Taehyung giggled as the younger grazed his hands over Taehyung’s sensitive thighs, giving them a light slap. Then Taehyung’s eyes widened. Jungkook slipped his hands up the legs of his boxers and felt at the skin, dangerously close to Taehyung’s cock. The older whimpered and closed his eyes, suddenly desperate for Jungkook to move his fingers just an inch. Instead, he felt the younger kiss gently on his stomach, giggling at Taehyung’s desperation.

               Taehyung frowned and pushed Jungkook back over onto the bed, now straddling him.

               “TaeTae…?”

               “I’m going first this time,” Taehyung said with finality. He kissed Jungkook harshly for a while. Jungkook slipped his tongue out and trailed it across Taehyung’s swollen lips. The older let out a heavy moan at the sensation. Jungkook took Taehyung’s lower lip between his teeth and bit down. Taehyung’s moans turned to a gasp and he nearly collapsed onto Jungkook’s chest.

               “You said to bite you,” Jungkook chided. He brought his hand up to Taehyung’s mouth and ran his thumb along the swollen lower lip. Jungkook bit his own lip and pushed his thumb into Taehyung’s mouth. Taehyung trailed his lips down Jungkook’s thumb and pulled his mouth off with a pop. He stuck his tongue out lazily and gave Jungkook’s thumb a slow lick, then wrapped his warm lips around the finger again.

               “Holy _fucking_ shit,” Jungkook gasped with wide eyes. “You’re so fucking hot… I want to…” he trailed off as he pulled Taehyung’s lips in for a heavy kiss. He forced his tongue almost violently into Taehyung’s warm mouth and dug deep. Taehyung let out a low moan and closed his eyes as Jungkook ravaged his throat. He pulled back after a long while, putting his hands on Jungkook’s strong biceps.

               “You want to what, Kookie?” Taehyung asked, his eyes wide with expectation, mouth curled into a smile. Jungkook groaned, but hesitated. “Oh, come on, Jungkook,” Taehyung whined. “You did this to me last time, too. Just fucking say it!” Taehyung bit his lower lip and grinned.

               “Your… your lips look so fuckable. I want to fuck your mouth,” he stammered. Taehyung gasped at the sinful words and grinned brightly.

               “If that’s what you want, Kookie,” he said, eyebrow raised in a coy smile. Jungkook swallowed hard and brought his hand to the top of Taehyung’s head, but paused there. His face suddenly looked concerned. Taehyung knew why; it had only been yesterday when Taehyung had his panic attack.

               “It’s ok, Jungkook. You can touch me however you want, I’m not afraid at all. I trust you.” Jungkook smiled brightly with relief and rested his hand on top of Taehyung’s soft orange hair. He tousled the glossy locks before Taehyung felt him apply the slightest bit of pressure. He leaned down to kiss Jungkook’s neck, and trailed down to his sternum where he sucked lightly before moving down to graze his abs. Jungkook’s breathing intensified the closer he got to his throbbing erection, and it made Taehyung insanely excited. He kissed harshly at Jungkook’s abs and brought his hands up to the younger’s underwear. He lifted his head and pulled the underwear down over Jungkook’s thighs. His eyes widened as Jungkook’s hard dick was freed from the confines of the fabric. It bounced against his strong abdomen and rested there, a drop of precum falling onto his stomach.

               Taehyung stared at Jungkook’s glory. It was sized perfectly, only a tiny bit larger than Taehyung had imagined, but significantly thicker. Taehyung gulped and looked up at Jungkook. The younger had one wrist resting on his forehead, casting a shadow on his dark gaze, and the other hand gripped firmly at the back of Taehyung’s neck. Jungkook looked utterly desperate. His lips quivered with every breath Taehyung let out onto his crotch. Taehyung grinned up at him and brought his mouth down onto Jungkook’s abs. He kissed the strong muscle slowly and patiently. He felt Jungkook’s dick throbbing against his neck. Jungkook was bucking his hips subconsciously, his face even needier than before. Taehyung looked up at him with bright eyes, moving his lips down and to the right, just barely avoiding Jungkook’s erection. He licked and kissed down to Jungkook’s inner thigh, then back up towards his abs again.

               “Ether fucking damn it, Taehyung, stop being such a fucking tease.” Taehyung moved his head so his eyes were just above Jungkook’s cock and tilted his head to look up at the younger, his lower lip brushing against his shaft. Jungkook shivered desperately. “Good lord, you’re _so_ fucking sexy. Please, suck me- _gah_!” Jungkook let out a pained gasp as Taehyung licked from the base of his shaft up to his head. He slowly licked his warm tongue around the head, still staring deeply into Jungkook’s eyes. Jungkook was literally trembling, the purest need showing painfully on his face. His left eye was frozen in a constant wince.

               “Be patient, Kookie,” Taehyung said with a grin. Jungkook let out an exacerbated sigh of frustration.

               “I _can’t_ fucking wait, your lips look so god damn fuckable,” Jungkook choked.

               “Fuck, Jungkook,” Taehyung moaned. He had imagined sucking Jungkook’s cock before, but this was unreal. Even in all his dirty fantasies, he couldn’t have imagined Jungkook being so desperate, so vulnerable, like he was now, laying barren before him. He certainly hadn’t expected _himself_ to love it this much. Taehyung had all the power. It turned him on like nothing else.

               He moved his hands slowly up Jungkook’s strong thighs, making a mental note to play more with those some other time. He grazed into the center of the younger’s pelvis and ran his hands over Jungkook’s throbbing dick. Jungkook literally cried out in pleasure, desperate for more friction. Taehyung grinned and wrapped his hand around Jungkook’s cock and began by pumping slowly. Jungkook’s random whines turned to sighs of pure bliss as he fell into the steady pace. Taehyung was grossly fascinated with the way Jungkook reacted to every touch, and he suddenly felt the urge to learn every way the boy’s face could twist, the moans he could make. He needed to explore everything. For now, though, he was feeling a bit guilty about teasing his Kookie for so long.

               Taehyung moved his swollen lips closer to Jungkook’s dick and let out a warm breath on it, and Jungkook reacted with a sigh. He was bucking his hips out of time with Taehyung’s strokes, pleading for the pace to increase. Taehyung looked up at him. His eyes were closed now, focusing on the sensation.

               “Look at me, Kookie,” he demanded. He moved quickly, pulling Jungkook’s cock forward and wrapping his lips around the head. Jungkook’s eyes flew open and he stared at Taehyung, his full lips red and swollen, his tongue pressed against his cock. Jungkook let out a cry. Taehyung felt the younger’s strong hands grasp harshly on his hair and tug firmly. Taehyung slid his mouth slowly down Jungkook’s dick until he felt his gag reflex flip. He pulled off and let Jungkook’s dick fall accidently. Jungkook looked up with concern.

               “Are you all right?” he asked, propping himself up on his free elbow. Taehyung nodded quickly.

               “I think I got ahead of myself,” he whispered, and grabbed Jungkook’s cock again. He was determined now to get the whole thing in his mouth.

               “You can do it, TaeTae,” Jungkook said with a grin. “Take it slow.”

               “I’ve made you wait long enough-”

               “Don’t you dare get all guilty on me now. I’m going to remember this for the rest of my fucking life so take your damn time.” Jungkook demanded. Taehyung grinned and nodded his head. He started out more slowly this time, moving his mouth down more carefully, and found that he was already able to get further. Jungkook let out a moan.

               “Breathe through your nose,” he said shakily. “Breathe and relax.”

               Taehyung obeyed. He paced his breath intentionally, in and out, relaxing his throat us much as possible. He couldn’t make all the way to the base of Jungkook’s shaft yet, but he was close, so he began bobbing his head up and down. Jungkook moaned and threaded his fingers through Taehyung’s hair again.

               “Holy shit, your mouth feels so fucking good,” he whimpered. “Look at me, Tae.”

               Taehyung looked up to find Jungkook’s face contorted in pleasure. His eyebrows were furrowed harshly in concentration and he bit down into his bottom lip, staring at Taehyung with eyes so full of insatiable lust the older thought he may come too just by sucking Jungkook off. Taehyung whimpered onto Jungkook’s dick and the vibrations caused Jungkook’s hips to buck upwards, his cock hitting against the back of Taehyung’s throat. Taehyung gagged and opened his mouth to cough, but refused to move off Jungkook’s dick that easily. Jungkook’s worry vanished as Taehyung slid his tongue under Jungkook’s cock and bobbed his head again, more quickly this time.

               “Oh fuck, Tae, I think I’m gonna… come…”

               Taehyung’s muscles tensed. He bobbed his head more quickly and looked up at Jungkook, whose face was even more contorted than before. The raven’s mouth hung open and his eyebrows furrowed deeper in desperation. Taehyung increased his pace again and saw Jungkook’s face begin to flush red.

               “Oh God, I’m going to come- your mouth-” Jungkook was nearly shouting now and he clenched his teeth, fighting desperately to keep his eyes glued on Taehyung’s face. Jungkook’s grip firmed on Taehyung’s head, now shockingly forceful, and Taehyung loved it. Jungkook began bucking his hips up and down, pounding into the back of Taehyung’s throat. He felt his eyes water but he fought hard to keep his eyes and throat open for Jungkook to fuck as he pleased. Jungkook swiftly moved his other hand onto Taehyung’s head and grasped hard onto another patch of orange hair. Taehyung watched the muscles in Jungkook’s body clench simultaneously, his stomach and face flushing bright red.

               “Oh, _FUCK_ , Tae!” Taehyung felt a warm liquid hit the back of his throat and his gag reflex screamed, but he was growing capable and managed the urge to cough. He hummed onto Jungkook’s huge cock and Jungkook whined from the vibrations. Taehyung watched with watery eyes as Jungkook rode out his orgasm, hips thrusting slowly and unevenly into Taehyung’s mouth, staring back into Taehyung’s round eyes passionately.

               Jungkook began to relax and his head fell back to the headboard with a light thump, his breathing harsh and deep. Taehyung slowly lifted his head off Jungkook’s dick, watching him wince at the movement, and licked up the side of his shaft. He grinned brightly at Jungkook with smiling eyes as he swallowed down his cum. He felt a trail of the liquid drip from his lips as he opened his mouth and watched Jungkook’s eyes widen.

               “Good Ether Taehyung, you’re incredible,” Jungkook whispered in awe. “Look at you, you’re a fucking sex monster!” Taehyung grinned again and slowly licked the escaped cum from his lips, flashing Jungkook a seductive glare. “Jesus, you’re going to make me hard again, TaeTae. You didn’t have to swallow you know.”

               “You think I’d let a drop of that shit leave my mouth? I’ve been praying for this for fucking months, Jeon Jungkook. And now that you mention it, would it really be all that bad if I had to take care of you again?” Taehyung asked innocently, eyeing Jungkook’s dick. Jungkook rolled his eyes to the back of his skull.

               “Jesus, how are you so freaking adorable and fuckable at the same time?” He pulled Taehyung’s shoulders up towards him. Taehyung straddled Jungkook’s hips, feeling his junk press against his ass through his underwear, and gazed into Jungkook’s fucked out eyes. Jungkook wrapped his arms around Taehyung’s waist and pulled him in for a kiss.

               “Wait, I still have that in my mouth though…”

               “You think I give a shit? You look so hot I couldn’t care less if you had just eaten pure garlic.”

               Jungkook pulled Taehyung’s lips to his and kissed him passionately. Taehyung tasted in Jungkook’s mouth, still slightly embarrassed that still had his cum on his tongue, but he let himself relax and close his eyes. Jungkook’s kiss was just as passionate as before so he supposed there wasn’t a problem after all. They kissed slowly for a bit until Jungkook pulled back.

               “Ok, I think I’m good to go now. What do you want me to do?” he asked. Taehyung couldn’t believe it but his eyes felt tired and he wasn’t quite as horny now as he had been before.

               “Actually, to be honest, I feel kind of tired,” he admitted. “That was pretty exhausting.”

               “Are you sure, Tae?” Jungkook looked concerned, even guilty. Taehyung flashed him a look of assurance.

               “Yes, Kookie,” he said. “I would never pass up a chance to get sucked off by you unless I was really sure. Plus, I’m pretty sure sucking you off was more than enough hotness for me.”

               Jungkook smiled and kissed Taehyung again. “You’re the fucking best, Taehyung,” he whispered.

               “I know!” Taehyung chirped with a grin.

 

               After nearly an hour of cuddling, Taehyung’s stomach began to grumble. He had felt self-conscious on Jungkook’s behalf for him being the only one naked, so Taehyung had politely removed his own boxers to even the playing field. They had lay there in the nude, bodies pressed against each other for warmth, with blissfully idiotic smiles glued on their lips.

               “You’re hungry, hun?” Jungkook asked quietly.

               “Hun? Is that what you’re going to call me?” Taehyung teased with a boxy smile plastered to his face.

               “Oh… yeah, I guess that is kinda weird,” the raven admitted. “How about babe?” Taehyung giggled and nuzzled his head up against Jungkook’s chest.

               “I’m kidding, Kookie. Anything is fine, as long as it’s natural for you,” he whispered.

               Taehyung raised his head at the sound of talking outside. He heard a gentle knock on the door and turned to Jungkook. The younger was mirroring his panic. They stumbled out of bed quickly and threw on clothes as swiftly as possible.

               “Just a minute!” Taehyung half-yelled, his voice cracking slightly as he spoke. He cursed himself under his breath. Jungkook only snickered and rubbed his hair affectionately. The raven opened the door as Taehyung fixed his insane bedhead in the mirror, attempting to plaster down the orange cowlicks with his spit.

               Taehyung heard Jungkook speak abruptly. “Oh, Professor Seokjin!” The older’s head swiveled in horror. Sure enough, there was Professor Seokjin, peering into the door and watching Taehyung fix his post-fuck bedhead.

               “Oh, Lord,” Taehyung heard himself mutter. Professor Seokjin only laughed.

               “Ah, to be young again…” he mused softly, a grin on his face. Taehyung’s eyes widened in horror at the comment, but Professor Seokjin was already walking down the hallway to the next room over. “Just wanted to make sure you two are coming to dinner. I hope you haven’t already eaten.”

               “Just a little bit in Taehyung’s case,” Jungkook said, winking at Taehyung, who muttered a threatening curse to his lab partner. “We’ll be down in just a moment, thank you, Professor.” Jungkook waltzed casually over to a fuming Taehyung and took his hands in his own. “You’re mad?”

               “Just a little,” Taehyung hissed with a grimace. Jungkook laughed. “What the hell do you think you’re doing saying something like that to our professor?! And did you hear what he said?”

               “Yeah, I didn’t think we were that obvious, though,” Jungkook replied casually.

               “How are you not disturbed by this situation?! We were trying to be discreet about going out, right?”

               “Well I figured we wouldn’t go telling people, but at this point, the damage has been done. Plus, everyone knows Professor Seokjin is a raging homosexual, so who cares?”

Taehyung’s eyebrows rose. “Really? Professor Seokjin’s gay?”

               “Yeah, he’s been married to Professor Namjoon for like twenty years or some crap,” Jungkook said casually. Taehyung made an impressed face, then shrugged and grabbed his coin purse.

               “Oh, crap,” he breathed. “I forgot that I don’t have any money after that… incident.”

               “Kim Taehyung. You think your boyfriend would let you go starving?” Taehyung rolled his eyes and hit Jungkook’s shoulder lightly. “Come here,” Jungkook said, planting a warm kiss on his lips. Taehyung nearly swooned. He could definitely get used to this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this cute little chapter! The smut scenes are still strange to write (and even more strange to edit) but I'm pretty happy with the results I think. Let me know what you think please!!! <3


	7. Ulterior Motive

               Taehyung spent most of dinner trying in vain to swat Jungkook’s grabby hands from his leg. Yein, who had quite inconveniently sat on Jungkook’s other side, had clearly noticed, and was now probably sharing the shocking news with Kei. Taehyung rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh.

               “So, you two have fun earlier?” Wonwoo whispered into Taehyung’s ear, flashing him a spasm of multiple cheesy winks. Taehyung let out a scandalized cry and slapped Wonwoo on the arm. Wonwoo only laughed and took Mingyu’s hand under the table.

               “Excuse me, students!” Professor Seokjin said, rising from his seat at the head of the long table with a glass of wine in his hand. “Today, we will be welcoming two new students to the class!” He turned to Mingyu and Wonwoo, whose faces both flushed a light pink. “Jeon Wonwoo and Kim Mingyu! Mr. Jeon is a student at Frosthelm and Mr. Kim is a good friend of his.” The other students clapped, their faces mostly reading confusion, but Taehyung heard Yein whisper to Kei about how _handsome_ they are!

               “Th-thanks?” Wonwoo struggled, dumbfounded at the sudden announcement. Professor Seokjin slapped his thigh and laughed hysterically, forcing Taehyung to question the professor’s sanity yet again.

               “Of course! The more the merrier, I always say! Isn’t that right, Jisoo?” The boy looked up at their professor with utter bewilderment.

               “R-right, sir?” Jisoo tried. Professor Seokjin laughed hysterically yet again. Taehyung was growing concerned for _all_ their safeties now.

               “Anyhow, onto the next topic of discussion,” Seokjin continued. Taehyung slid back in his seat. This sounded like the beginning of another mind-numbing lecture. But when he felt Jungkook move his hand to take Taehyung’s, resting on his thigh, Taehyung sat up a little again and smiled. Maybe he’d finally learn to enjoy school with a genius boyfriend by his side. “Unfortunately, we failed to explore the tunnels today due to a… complication. However, that means that our four students who arrived late didn’t miss any surprises! You four did miss the orientation yesterday, but that was short and I’m quite confident you’ll be just fine without it, especially with Jungkook here.” Taehyung saw Jungkook pinch the bridge of his nose out of the corner of his eye and he held back a laugh. “Now, since we’ve missed a day, I should probably tell you that we will have more work to do tomorrow. There’s a decent chance we may have to stay an extra day. If that interferes with your plans, I hope you can make rearrangements now.”

               Jungkook leaned over to Taehyung. “Fuck, if that happens, the reservations I made will be ruined,” he whispered. Taehyung looked at him sympathetically.

               “We’ll work it out, right?” Taehyung asked calmly. Yein eyed him viciously from behind Jungkook’s head. Jungkook nodded to him and turned back to the professor.

               “Good, I’ll take that as a yes,” Professor Seokjin announced cheerily. “Well, I suppose there’s no point is saving the surprise until tomorrow, then. I’m sure you’re all dying to know!”

               “Just _dying_ ,” Jihoon scoffed. The short boy with pastel pink hair was sitting directly across from Jungkook. His friends Seungcheol and Jeonghan cackled simultaneously, as if on cue.

               “Ah, yes, as I was sure you would be, Jihoon!” Professor Seokjin seemed utterly oblivious, but it was kind of endearing in a way. Taehyung could feel Jungkook’s grip tightening, and he looked over to see Jungkook staring excitedly at the professor. Taehyung’s heart skipped a beat. _I forgot how cute and excited he gets when he’s learning!_ “You see, this expedition is a very special opportunity to investigate the ancient residence of Park Jiyeon! That’s right: the famous sorceress and engineer from over three hundred years ago!”

               Jungkook literally gasped. The majority of the room held a shared disinterest, and Taehyung's face reddened as Jihoon’s crew shot Jungkook judgmental glances. Wonwoo nudged Taehyung with his elbow. “Your boyfriend’s a fucking nerd,” he whispered. Taehyung jabbed him under the table with his foot, eliciting a yelp from his best friend.

               “Well, glad to see you’re interested, Jeon Wonwoo! Do you know anything about Sorceress Jiyeon?”

               Wonwoo gulped hard and shot Taehyung a pleading glance, but Taehyung only offered a shrug. “Well… not really, but I think she sounds like a… lovely person?”

               The rest of the glass giggled. Taehyung snickered at Wonwoo and drank from his glass of grape juice to conceal his grin.

               “In fact, she was a lovely person, Wonwoo!” the professor responded, his voice near a shout, his eyebrows raised to the ceiling. “Legends say that Jiyeon was one of the most beautiful women in all the lands, and we have journals from the time that back that claim. Many men, and even some women, wrote that when Jiyeon looked at you, it was as if she were staring straight into your soul, and you could feel her sharp gaze cut deep into your aura.” The old man’s arms waved frantically and spittle flew from his mouth as he spoke. “Sounds quite like love to me, right, Kim Taehyung?”

               Taehyung spat out a sizable amount of grape juice. He heard his peers giggling profusely at him and his face reddened. He wanted to scream at the professor, but when he glanced at Jungkook, the raven was staring fondly into Taehyung’s eyes. Immediately he felt his rage settle. He wrinkled his nose and shot Yein’s smouldering gaze a pointed look before grabbing his napkin and wiping up the juice and spit from the wooden table.

               “Sounds like a yes to me!” Professor Seokjin exclaimed loudly, flashing Taehyung a disturbing wink. Jungkook tightened his grip on Taehyung's hand. “To continue, that’s not the only thing Jiyeon was known for. She was also a remarkably talented magical engineer. She invented many important mechanisms, including the Belt of Near-Infinite Holding! Of course, that belt was soon proven to eat away large amounts of its user’s life force, but that’s beside the point. Jiyeon was, indeed, a truly incredible woman. A good example for us all, I dare say! She built up a small empire using her charisma and incredibly good looks, and, with the money and influence she had garnered, she funded her research. A true role model, right Jeon Jungkook?”

               Jungkook nodded vigorously. “Yes, Professor! Her inventions are still being researched and improved today! She’s also basically the most well-known female engineer, which is obviously pretty bad-ass.” The girls next to him giggled. Taehyung had a sudden urge to spit some juice on _them_.

               “Agreed! Any particular inventions of hers you’ve studied then?”

               “Yeah, lots! Like you said, the Belt; although I believe it’s new official name is the belt of soul-draining. But there’s also the glowjem, Gaia’s most powerful light source mechanism to date that can run solely on the magical energies of the earth, rather than that of human auras.”

               Taehyung was thoroughly impressed (and, awkwardly enough, kind of turned on), and apparently their professor was impressed as well.

               “Indeed, Mr. Jeon! Well done! I hadn’t even heard about that name change for the Belt. Interesting how a different name can point out an entirely different meaning! That’s a bit of magical philosophy for you, class. Now then, do you know anything else? Perhaps you’ll be able to guess what we may be looking for in Park Jiyeon’s lair?”

               Jungkook swallowed hard. His eyes were wide with a curiosity that would probably freak Taehyung out if he weren’t so thoroughly enamored with the boy. “It couldn’t be... is it the Alpha Converter?!”

               Professor Seokjin grinned a toothy smile and something almost menacing grazed his face for a split second. Taehyung thought he was the only one who noticed until Wonwoo turned to flash him a look of horror.

               “Why, you would be correct, Mr. Jeon!” the Professor exclaimed. “We are, in fact, searching for the Alpha Converter! Or rather, we are searching for the _secrets_ the Alpha Converter, also called the AlCon for short. Contrary to popular belief, the AlCon does not actually exist in a physical form. Park Jiyeon made the plans for it and did create it, at least according to her ancient records, but there was something that drove her to destroy it.” The Professor paused eerily, and his glance shifted across the table, his wrinkled gaze meeting every student’s eyes momentarily. Taehyung shivered. This was starting to feel more like a horror story than an academic expedition. “This is Park Jiyeon’s last diary entry. It was found years ago by the late Professor Choi Seunghyun. He was the first person to discover the secret entrance to the heart of these caves, whose beauty I will show you tomorrow. Professor Seunghyun spent his life researching Jiyeon’s work, but unfortunately, just after discovering her diary, he was… murdered.” The Professor’s voice was tinted with a creepiness that made Taehyung tighten his grip on Jungkook’s hand. “He was able to pass these notes along to the academic community before he died. However, the assassin took most of her other journal entries. Nobody has been able to find them since.”

               Taehyung looked to Jungkook. The raven’s once enchanted grin was now replaced with an unreadable expression, his dark eyes focused in on their professor. Taehyung took a copy of the journal and passed it on to Jungkook, who immediately read its contents, his eyebrows furrowed. Taehyung noticed that the top left of the page had a splatted black mark that looked like liquid. He also noticed that at the bottom, there was an image. It was a single eye, staring back at him. He gasped at the sight and turned to Jungkook, who mouthed an _“I know_ ” to him as he tightened the comforting grip on Taehyung’s hand. Taehyung swallowed hard and read the text.

_Dear Diary,_

_I have discovered something truly terrible. It all started after spending more time using the Alpha Converter. Now, when I separate myself from its powers, I feel a certain… urge. It is nothing like I have ever experienced. You see, when I detach myself from the charging port, I feel utterly desperate to kill. It is not to kill out of hatred, nor spite, nor anger. It is out of a feral need for blood. The sight of the crimson makes me hunger, long for more. I grow desperate for the red stain of life’s most vital liquid splattered on my hands. And when I hunger for more, the only thing that can satiate it is more death, more destruction._

_I have already killed two people. The first was my secretary, Boram. She accompanied me everywhere, keeping my things in order and helping me with menial tasks, so of course she was with me while I used the Alpha Converter in case anything went wrong. She was a loyal, good-hearted individual. She was also on par with my skills as a combat mage, and yet, she didn’t put up a fight. Perhaps she was in love with me, like everyone else. Either way, her blood was simply delicious. It felt gorgeous against my bare hands, pulling at her flesh, ripping apart… well, I digress, for fear of people reading this in the future._

_I do hope somebody reads this in the future._

_If you are reading this in the future, whatever you do: DO NOT attempt to reassemble the Alpha Converter. If you do, you will put the world at risk – your warning has been given and the rest is out of my hands._

_The second person I killed was my brother, Hyojoon. He screamed with horror and I screamed with glee and he was dead in an instant. His blood felt more comforting on my skin, lulling me into a deep sleep._

_I miss him now. He was always the most loving person, and yet, ironically, he was also the only person who didn’t fall in love with me no matter what. He was loyal, yet not a slave to my beauty. I suppose I have committed a grave mistake by murdering him in cold blood, but I do not plan to live much longer. I will end my life before more innocents die at the prying of my own barren hands. I do not wish to hurt or to harm, but rather to see the blood and death. The Alpha Converter has made a monster out of me, and I must be put down._

_If you are reading this in the future, fear not. The secrets to my other inventions are within the walls of my most hidden lair, where the wind runs frigid. I believe in the power of knowledge; I only pray that the terrible power I have brought into this world never fall into the wrong hands._

_Best,_

_Park Jiyeon_

               Taehyung let his paper fall to the table. He couldn’t stop his hand from shaking, not with that creepy eye staring up at him. Most of his peers were done reading by now. The atmosphere had become quite gloomy, although a few of the students were snickering, probably to escape the discomfort at what they read. Yein and Kei wore disoriented looks, but were covering it up with silent giggles, and Jihoon and his gang were scoffing. Taehyung looked to Jungkook now, whose eyes were empty, staring directly at Professor Seokjin.

               “Professor Seokjin?” the raven said.

               “Yes, Jeon Jungkook?” the professor replied calmly, with intrigue in his eyes.

               “What is this all about?” If Jungkook had been trying to hide the suspicion in his voice, he had most certainly failed. Professor Seokjin was silent, returning Jungkook’s gaze with an unsettling calmness and for a moment, the room was drained of all oxygen. Taehyung had the overwhelming urge to grab Jungkook and run as far away from this man as possible. The excruciating moment finally passed when Professor Seokjin’s face twisted into a placid smile.

               “We must understand the context of our research before we dive in, Jungkook” he stated. “We need to know what we are looking for. Class is dismissed for now, thank you all. For tomorrow, please discuss your thoughts on this reading with your lab partner. We will meet for breakfast at 10 a.m. Thank you and rest well.” Professor Seokjin spun around quickly and strode out the door.

 

 

               Taehyung sat against the wall on his bed, staring out the window at Pontus. It was unusually bright in the jagged night sky. Taehyung guessed it was around 10 p.m., considering that he couldn’t see Uranus yet from where he sat. Jungkook was curled up on his right, his head resting in Taehyung’s lap. Wonwoo sat just to his left with crossed legs, his chin resting in his palm. Mingyu’s long legs were sprawled out on the floor where he was laying.

               “I just don’t understand why he’s trying to get us to explore in some insane, dead woman’s lair,” Wonwoo said. “Mingyu said this earlier, but he seems like a real creep, being all obsessed with this stuff.”

               “It’s not that I don’t agree, we just don’t know what his intentions are,” Jungkook retorted. The three of them had been arguing for nearly an hour, but all Taehyung could think about was the mark at the bottom of the page and the way their professor had stared at Jungkook. He was waiting patiently for the right time to bring up the eye, preferably when Wonwoo and Mingyu left for bed. Wonwoo hadn’t remembered the witch incident anyway so there wasn’t any point in giving them more to argue about.

               “I understand what you’re saying, Jungkook,” Mingyu replied, scratching his forehead. “I just don’t want any of us to follow someone into a death trap just because we’re not sure about their intentions. Honestly, it’s kind of like Taehyung’s thing at that bar if you think it about it… sure, he didn’t know those homophobes would beat him up, but that doesn’t mean he should have gone out by himself past dark in a place he’s never even been to before.”

_Ouch, that one stung._

               Jungkook sat up fast and glared at Mingyu. “You _know_ that’s different, kid,” he hissed. “Don’t bring that shit up as if it’s the same thing. You weren’t even with us. Professor Seokjin is a well-recognized professional at the university the three of us agreed to attend.”

               “First of all, I’m your elder, jerk, even if it’s only by a few months. Second, are you saying that Taehyung was even more wrong to go into that bar? There wasn’t a well-recognized professional in there,” Mingyu hissed.

               Jungkook stood up and stared down at Mingyu, rage in his eyes. Taehyung wanted to hide. “That’s not the point, Kim Mingyu,” Jungkook growled. Mingyu began to rise but Wonwoo pushed him at his shoulder.

               “Mingie, let it go, would you? Stop provoking him.”

               “He’s the one who said that I don’t know anything just because I don’t go to school,” Mingyu whined.

               “Well you _don’t_ , you little brat!” Jungkook hissed. Taehyung got up silently and walked out of the room, shaking off Jungkook when he tried to grab his wrist. “Well look what you’ve fucking done…” Jungkook’s voice grew distant as Taehyung paced down the stairs to the lobby. He huffed and scanned the room, looking for a place to sit and stew in his anger. There was a table in the lobby, but a woman sat in one of its mahogany chairs with her back towards him. He shrugged his shoulders and approached. As he grabbed a seat, he flinched to see that it was Yein. She glared at Taehyung instantly.

               “What the hell do you want, Kim Taehyung?” she snarled.

               “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was you, honestly,” he said, waving his hands at his chest. “I’ll leave you alone if you want, really.”

               Yein breathed in a sigh and wiped her eyes. Taehyung felt a pull on his gut. The girl had clearly been crying. “I’m sorry,” she spoke softly. “I was just really upset. My friends are all having the time of their lives partying it up upstairs, but I have to worry about what the hell I’m gonna do over the break once I get back from this crappy trip if Professor Seokjin makes it last an extra day.”

               Taehyung took a second to process the information, and found himself talking before he could stop. “Well, if you have nowhere else to stay, I have some space in my house, and it’s not hard to get to.” _What the FUCK, Kim Taehyung?! You literally just invited the closest person to a rival that you have at this school to stay with you for a week because she cried a little bit?!_

               Yein sniffled and looked up at him. “Really? That’s so sweet of you to offer, especially since we barely know each other… thank you, Taehyung, but I’m pretty sure I’ll find a way home. It’s just stressful to have to think about this stuff when my friends don’t have a care in the world, you know?”

               Taehyung pursed his lips. _Boy, this girl must have it easy to worry this much about this…_ “Yeah, no problem,” he nodded. He looked to the stairs and saw Jungkook approaching slowly. Yein turned her head and shot up immediately.

               “Jungkook! How are you?” she asked brightly, her puffy eyes hiding behind a smile. She ran up to him and clasped her hands behind her back, wiggling her shoulders not-so-subtly. Taehyung felt the sudden urge to vomit.

               “Fine, Yein. Have a good night,” he said, passing her without a second thought. He took Taehyung’s hands in his and stared at him. Taehyung heard Yein storming off, but he was too busy staring back into Jungkook’s gorgeous eyes to care.

               “I’m sorry,” Taehyung said. “I got frustrated and didn’t know what else to do. Wonwoo is a jokester, but Mingyu took it too far... it hurt when he said that stuff about Garrow…”

               “I know, it’s not your fault. It’s really mine for getting so mad. Wonwoo said he’d talk to Mingyu while I found you.” Jungkook stroked Taehyung’s cheek. “Are you all right, TaeTae?”

               “Yeah, I just needed a minute. I’m ok now.” Taehyung smiled softly. “Jungkook, I trust you. If you think it’s safe to go on the trip, I’ll go.”

               “I’m glad that you trust me, but it’s not that I think it’s safe,” Jungkook said with a hushed tone. “In fact, between you and me only, I wouldn’t be surprised if Seokjin’s going to do something really terrible.”

               Taehyung’s face contorted with worry. “Kookie, I won’t let you put yourself in danger.”

               “It’s not a matter of putting myself in danger, TaeTae. If I don’t try to stop him and he's really doing what I think he may be, none of us will be around soon enough.”

               “So you really think he’s trying to build it…?”

               “I wouldn’t be surprised, considering the way he was acting. And if he is, I don’t think I can stop him alone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey!!! Hopefully I'll get another chapter up tonight. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh ok!! Please please please give me feedback (it's my first fanfic and I want to hear what you have to say!!!). I hope you enjoyed it and you are looking forward to another (much longer) update by Sunday!  
> Much love <3


End file.
